


Gravity Falls: Worlds Collide

by GeekofKhaos



Series: Worlds Apart: A Mythology AU [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Badass Mabel Pines, But if you like Percy Jackson you'll probably like this, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Fluff, Fluff and Humor, He is a cinnamon roll and should be protected, If you read Worlds Apart before this you've already met him, Lots of Mythology, Mabel gets a love interest in this one, Not a Percy Jackson AU, Wendip, loki is an asshole, sexy but not quite smutty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2019-10-15 06:06:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 53,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17523305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeekofKhaos/pseuds/GeekofKhaos
Summary: An evil force is sending ancient Sumerian demons to battle the guardians of the Gravnemeta. After Mabel is seriously injured, and her mentor goddess mysteriously disappears, Dipper, Wendy, and their family and friends, (both of the godly and mortal variety), must pull together to keep Gravity Falls safe. When they discover who is behind the attacks, someone must make a heartbreaking choice.*Lots of fluff!* *But some sexy stuff too!* Wendip and Mabel/OCAhem... Shameless begging incoming: PLEASE READ AND COMMENT





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You should read my fic Gravity Falls: Worlds Apart before this one if you haven't already. This is a direct continuation of that fic, and it will make a lot more sense if you read them in order. :)

**Prologue**

In the two weeks that had passed since the handfasting of Dipper Pines and Wendy Corduroy, the daily lives of the Pines twins and their friends and family had slowly settled into a new sense of normalcy. Nothing was ever going to be the same as it was before the fateful night when Wendy was kidnapped into the Green Realm, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

To be supportive of their great niece and nephew's new "lifestyle choices," (as Stan described Dipper's godhood and Mabel's becoming a champion and priestess of Arden), the Grunkles decided to stay in Gravity Falls instead of continuing to sail around the world. They didn't want to kick Soos and Melody out of the Mystery Shack, however, so they talked Puck into going back and finding the Stan O' War, which he'd just left floating off the coast of South Africa when he transported them back to Gravity Falls. They asked him to place it in the lake, and they repurposed it as a houseboat. They did, however, still spend a good deal of time at the Mystery Shack.

When school reconvened in Gravity Falls, Grenda, Pacifica and Wendy all headed back like normal. Bork spent his days in Grenda's room, creating unique new clothes for her. Wendy thought there was no point in her returning to school, but Beithe and Dan wouldn't hear of it. They insisted that Wendy at least complete her high school education.

Being as Dipper looked like a mythological creature, he wouldn't have been able to attend public school, even if he wanted to. He knew that it was possible to cast a glamour on himself, because otherwise Puck couldn't take on his Bacon Ostrich or Tad Strange personas. However, he had not figured out how yet, and of course, his mentor went inexplicably and conveniently missing as soon as he had deposited the Stan O' War in the lake.

Instead, Dipper spent his days drawing designs for a small cabin, and beginning to clear a patch of land on the edge of the Grunkles' property. Wendy and Beithe had come along with him to choose the location, so that Beithe could verify that none of the trees had spirits currently residing in them, and show Wendy how to do it for herself. Dan refused to have anything to do with the cabin, because he said he "knew what they would get up to in there" once they moved in, and he didn't approve. Meanwhile, Dipper was still sleeping on the couch at the Corduroy house, in hopes of avoiding another encounter with Manly Dan and the hatchet twins.

Although Mabel would have liked to attend school with her friends in Gravity Falls, Arden insisted that her training as champion and Protector of the Gravnemeta was more important. Ford begged to differ, and was able to talk Arden into a compromise: instead of training with Mabel for a full eight hours every day as she had been (pushing Mabel past the brink of exhaustion), Arden would train Mabel for six hours, and then Ford would homeschool her for two hours. Ford had wanted to homeschool Dipper as well, but Dipper refused, point blank, saying he was more concerned with building a cabin and starting a life with Wendy, and that school would have to wait.

Fenris had become Mabel's shadow. He went everywhere with her, pretending to be a silly puppy to make her laugh. He'd curl up against her at night while she cried, and she'd talk to him—tell him things like he was her diary. He did his best to make her feel better, but he knew she needed more. Simply comforting her was not going to be enough. He needed to take a more active role in seeing to her wellbeing and happiness. He just wasn't sure what that would be.

Things began to settle down, and life moved on, quiet and uneventful. But this is Gravity Falls. It doesn't stay quiet and uneventful for long.

And it didn't.

 

**Chapter One**

Shafts of early morning sunlight broke through the forest canopy, dappling the frigid ground, and causing the bed of frost covered pine needles to sparkle like they'd been coated in white glitter. Sparkles and glitter were the kinds of things that normally caught Mabel Pines' attention, but not today. Her breath came out in ragged puffs of steam as she ran, her watering eyes facing directly in front of her. She was late for her training session with Arden, and she knew she was in for a scolding, and extra push-ups. Unless she wanted to add extra sit-ups to that, she couldn't afford to stop and appreciate the beauty of her surroundings.

The gangly, black puppy following closely at Mabel's heels watched her with concern. As she slept last night, her chest had rattled every time she breathed, and as he had lain against her, he noticed that her body was putting off more heat than normal. Fenris didn't know a whole lot about the human body, seeing as he had never possessed one, but he thought she was, as mortals say, sick. He had wanted her to stay in bed and rest, so before her alarm clock had a chance to buzz, he had used his nose to nudge the switch to the off position. He felt guilty for having done that now, because Mabel woke up in a panic half an hour later, muttering about how angry Arden was going to be with her.

Arduinna, Goddess of the Sacred Wild, known also as Arden, was Mabel's mentor, trainer, and patron goddess. When Mabel had first met her, she appeared human, and Mabel thought she had made a new friend. While Mabel still liked Arden the goddess, she missed Arden the human. Arden the goddess was—not mean, or cruel, exactly. She was harsh, and rigid. She had chosen Mabel to be her champion and help her protect the Gravnemeta, the nexus point between realms, because Mabel was extremely loyal to her friends and family, and would do anything in her power to keep them from harm. Arden expected discipline and obedience from her champion, and Mabel did not want to disappoint her.

Mabel finally broke through the trees at the edge of the Gravnemeta, and bent over, hands on her knees, coughing and gasping for breath. A sudden movement to her left caused her to turn her head and look, just as she was taken down in a flying tackle from Arden. Mabel lay on the ground, wheezing, the wind knocked out of her, while Arden stood up and dusted herself off. Fenris ran over to make sure Mabel was okay, nudging her with his nose. Satisfied, he turned and growled at Arden, his ears pinned back, and lips curled up in a snarl.

 _What the Hel, Arden!? Are you_ trying  _to injure her?_

As a goddess, Arden possessed the capability of hearing Fenris speak in her head. However, she chose to ignore him. She did not like that the Norse god of destruction, the great wolf Fenrir, had taken such a keen interest in  _her_ priestess and champion. Instead she addressed Mabel.

"Your guard was down, my dear," she chided the younger girl, reaching down and helping her to her feet. "You must remember, when entering the Gravnemeta, to always be alert, and ready for a fight. Anything could break through the nexus, at any time, and could easily dispatch of you if you are not prepared."

"Sorry, Arden," said Mabel, hanging her head, strands of her long, cocoa colored hair that had come loose from her ponytail falling in her face. "I'm feeling a little off today—but I won't let that affect my training again."

Fenris stood next to Mabel and leaned against her legs, wishing he could go full Fenrir on Arden and send the uppity Green Realm bitch a message that she wouldn't be able to ignore. That would be quite upsetting for Mabel, however, since she still thought Fenris was just a very smart dog.

Arden noted the sun's position in the sky. "You are also twenty-three minutes late for your training. You know what that means."

Mabel nodded. "50 extra push-ups," she said with a sigh. She peeled off the light windbreaker she'd donned for her run, and kicked off her shoes. Arden had at least agreed to let her wear thick wool socks, to help prevent frostbite. As the cold air hit her already sweat-soaked skin, Mabel began to shiver violently, her teeth chattering. Still, she got down on the ground and began her push-ups without complaint, even though her whole body was quaking.

_Arden, it's my fault she was late. Plus, look at her. She's not well. Please don't force her to train while she's ill._

Fenris didn't like having to ask politely, but he couldn't stand seeing Mabel like this. It was one thing for Mabel to come home from training covered in bruises, but pushing her to train while ill was not only cruel, it was dangerous. Mabel had become very serious about discipline under Arden's tutelage. She was training to protect the Gravnemeta, because in doing so, she was ensuring the safety of her friends and family—a task she took so seriously, that she would push herself to the point of collapse before giving up. It was up to Arden to rein her in.

Arden's eyes flicked down to Fenris, and then back to Mabel's pale, sweaty visage. She sighed.

"Mabel, stop."

Mabel pushed herself up to a seated position. "What's wrong, Arden? Was my form bad?"

"Your form was fine," said Arden, with a small smile. "You do, however, appear to be quite sick. You are not at your best, and I need you at your best to train you properly."

"Oh," said Mabel. "Sorry?"

Arden laughed gently. "Do not apologize for being ill, Mabel. You cannot control something like that. Here." Arden knelt and placed her palm flat on Mabel's forehead.

Mabel mumbled "What…?" and then shuddered violently. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she went limp. Arden caught her, and lowered her slowly to the ground.

Fenris nudged Mabel's face, whining.  _What did you do?_

"You do not need to concern yourself with what I do to  _my_  champion, you heathen mongrel," spat Arden. "I know what you are trying to do."

Fenris turned from Mabel, and snarled at Arden.  _Really, you stuck-up reindeer? What exactly is it that you think I'm doing?_

Arden's lip curled in derision, and she opened her mouth to speak, but instead she gasped, and held a hand to her stomach.

 _Got gas?_ Fenris asked wryly.

Arden whirled around, her eyes scanning the Gravnemeta for aberrations in the air. There it was, a ripple.

"Fenris, something is coming through from the Beast Realm," she said quickly. "Take Mabel back to the Mystery Shack, now."

Fenris craned his neck to see what she was looking at. The air pressure began to change, and the ripple in the air widened into a hole.

"Fenris, it is a basilisk! Get her out of here  _NOW_!"

 _Shit_.

Fenris gently placed his mouth around Mabel's limp wrist, and concentrated on her bedroom in the Mystery Shack. He hadn't tried to blip, as he called it, in this realm yet. He hoped he wouldn't accidently transport Mabel to another continent.

As Fenris closed his eyes, he heard Arden's feral scream, accompanied by a loud hiss. He felt the familiar lightheadedness caused by blipping, and when he opened his eyes, Mabel was lying on her bedroom floor next to him.

Fenris pressed his nose to her forehead. She was cool to the touch, but not clammy, and her breathing was no longer congested. Apparently, Arden had purged her body of the illness. Fenris wasn't sure why that would have caused her to pass out, however. He did not possess the magic to heal, but to destroy.

He heaved a sigh, grabbed the edge of Mabel's blanket from the corner of the bed, and pulled it over her, nosing the sides closer to her body like he was tucking her in. Then he curled up on the floor next to her head, and watched over her, waiting for her to wake up.

/

Wendy's bedsprings squeaked as she shifted her weight, trying to get into a comfortable position to do her trigonometry homework. Dan Corduroy popped his head in the open doorway, a frown on his face.

"Relax, Manly Dan. I'm not besmirching your daughter's honor…or whatever," said Dipper, rolling his eyes. He was standing in the corner of Wendy's bedroom, playing with a yo-yo.

Dan grunted, and withdrew.

Wendy sighed. "The sooner we can get this cabin built, the better," she muttered.

"You're telling me," said Dipper, attempting to 'walk the dog' with his yo-yo. "Every time Dan sees me anywhere  _near_  you, I could swear he's trying to kill me with his eyes."

"I talked to mom about it," said Wendy, scribbling out some numbers in her notebook, and copying new ones from the textbook. "She says he needs time to adjust to the situation, and then he'll mellow out."

Dipper snorted. "Mellow out? I don't see that happening, Wendy. Your dad has absolutely  _zero_  chill."

Wendy glanced up at Dipper and grinned. "I wonder if it's possible to have negative chill?" Some strands of her soft, red hair fell in her face, tickling her nose, which she scrunched up and rubbed, before she tucked the hair back behind her ear.

"Gods, you're beautiful," murmured Dipper. He walked over next to Wendy, and bent over to kiss the top of her head.

She smiled up at him, and reached out, pulling him down to her for a heated kiss.

Dipper groaned softly, and pulled away. He looked up and jumped back from Wendy like she was on fire. Manly Dan stood in the doorway, glowering at him.

"I, uh… I'm going to go for a walk," he mumbled.

As he passed Manly Dan on the way out the door, Dan literally growled at him.

Dipper smirked as he walked toward the front of the house, muttering to himself. "Negative chill is pretty accurate."

/

Mabel slowly awoke, confused, hungry, and stiff. She sat up, and realized she'd been asleep on her bedroom floor. Fenris, who had been lying next to her, leapt to his feet, his tail wagging excitedly.

"Hey, Fen," she said, rubbing her eyes. "What—why am I on the floor? The last thing I remember was training…"

Fenris wished he was able to communicate with Mabel the way he communicated with her brother. Instead, he whuffed softly, and jumped up, placing his front paws on her shoulders, and sniffed her face. She giggled and pushed him off her, rubbing her nose.

Mabel turned to look at her alarm clock, and her eyes widened.

"Holy cheeses, it's 6:00  _pm_?" She jumped up off the floor, and immediately stumbled, her hand to her head. "Woah, dizzy."

Fenris whined, and nudged her leg, so that she stepped back against her bed.

"It's okay buddy, I'm fine. I just stood up too quickly," she said gently, bending over to pet the whining puppy. "You really are the smartest animal I've ever met—smarter than Waddles, even. But don't tell him I said that."

Fenris sneezed, and shook his head.  _I wish there was some way I could make you hear me._

Mabel sighed. "Come on Fen, let's go downstairs and see if anyone has any clue what happened to me. I'm assuming it's some nonsense to do with gods or whatever."

The steps creaked as Mabel and Fenris descended them. She poked her head into the living room, where Grunkle Stan was watching tv, as he often did, because he was too cheap to pay for satellite television on the Stan O' Home.

"Oh, hey Mabel. I didn't hear you come in," said Stan cheerfully. "You wanna watch Ducktective with me? It's a rerun, but it's better than anything else on right now."

Mabel was tempted, but she was more interested in finding out how she ended up on her bedroom floor, a blanket tucked snuggly around her, when the last thing she remembered was doing push-ups at the Gravnemeta.

"Not tonight, Grunkle Stan. I need to talk to Grunkle Ford. Do you know where he is?" she asked.

"I don't know, probably doing some nerd thing," said Stan, with a wave of his hand.

"Very helpful, thanks," said Mabel, rolling her eyes.

Fenris wagged his tail and sneezed. He liked the old man. Apart from Mabel, Stan Pines was his favorite human.

"Oh, hey, before you go, I almost forgot—I picked this up for your mongrel when I was out today," said Stan, pulling a crumpled plastic package of beef jerky from his pocket, and tossing it to Mabel.

Fenris whuffed at Stan appreciatively, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth in a doggy grin. This was another reason Stan was his second favorite human. He was gruff on the outside, but a big softy at heart—much like Fenris, actually.

"Come on, Fen," said Mabel, as she ripped the package of jerky open, and tossed him a piece. "Let's go find Ford."

/

Dipper sat on a fallen log, staring at the plot of land that was, sometime (hopefully in the near future), going to be adorned by a modest cabin—his and Wendy's home. He knew what it was going to look like, and he and Wendy had even talked about how they were going to decorate the inside. However, actually making the cabin a reality was proving to be a more daunting task than Dipper had anticipated.

He'd tried magic, of course. As an elder god, he was technically capable of making damn near anything. However, as a  _new_ elder god, he had no idea what he was doing. His mentor was no help at all—Dipper had no idea where Puck had gotten off to. Tad Strange wasn't home, and Arden had told Dipper that when she talked to her brother in the Green Realm, neither Puck, nor Bacon, had been seen there either.

Dipper frowned and conjured a set of Licoln Logs. He narrowed his eyes, as he tried to will them into forming a miniature version of the cabin he wanted to build. They lazily rolled around on the ground, and then, to Dipper's surprise, formed letters and spelled out a very rude phrase. He clenched his jaw and kept focusing on the cabin, bound and determined that he would figure this bit of magic out without Puck's guidance. Dipper didn't realize how strong his focus was, until someone touched the back of his neck, and leapt up with a screech that would have sounded at home coming from the audience of a Sev'ral Timez concert.

"Whoa there boy-o!" laughed Wendy. "It's just me!"

Dipper breathed deeply, and holding the back of his hand to his forehead, collapsed dramatically onto a red, velvet fainting couch that he made appear out of nowhere.

"I do declare," drawled Dipper in a high-pitched Southern accent, "you gave me quite a fright, darlin'!"

Wendy arched an eyebrow and smirked. "I'm not so sure about the accent, but the couch? I like. Is there room for two on that thing?"

Dipper, who had still been reclining dramatically with his eyes closed, sat straight up and nodded.

"That's what I was hoping," said Wendy with a saucy grin. "TACKLEHUG!"

Wendy flew into Dipper hard enough that the force knocked the couch over, and they ended up lying next to the overturned couch on the cold forest floor. Wendy had Dipper pinned, but he didn't mind.

"Eh, the ground is just as good—" he began, but he was cut off by Wendy's warm mouth pressed against his.

As Dipper returned her kiss with fervor, he felt his pulse quicken, and a tingling heat flowed from his core into all his extremities. Wendy twined her fingers in his hair, and tugged gently, causing him to arch his back and groan into her mouth. She wasn't playing fair, but he suspected she knew it.

"Wen—dy," Dipper managed to pant, as she pulled away from his mouth and moved onto his neck, lightly nibbling the sensitive flesh. She pulled back at her name, and stared down at him so hungrily that he almost couldn't remember why he'd stopped her. Her long, silky hair fell like a curtain around her face, tickling Dipper and giving him goosebumps as it brushed softly against his chest.

"What is it,  _husband_?" Wendy murmured low.

Dipper's rational mind was receding quickly, as he melted under her emerald gaze. He took deep breath, and blurted out the one thing that he knew would bring their romantic interlude to a screeching halt.

"GOAT-TREE BABIES!"

Wendy immediately heaved a sigh, and slumped down onto Dipper, her cheek pressed against his chest.

"Goat-tree babies," she unenthusiastically mumbled, her voice muffled against Dipper's skin.

Dipper chuckled, and ruffled Wendy's hair playfully. "So, uh, how's that contraceptive spell coming along?"

She rolled off him and sat up, hugging her knees. Dipper smiled mildly at her, still lying in the dirt, with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Dude, my mom wasn't kidding around when she said it's difficult to master," said Wendy. She fiddled absently with the hem of her green flannel shirt. "I thought she was exaggerating, but she totally wasn't."

"What's so hard about it?" asked Dipper. Then he snorted and grinned. "Heh. Hard."

Wendy smirked and rolled her eyes. "It's just that it's multi-layered, meaning I have to be focusing on a bunch of different stuff at once… but before I can add any of the layers, I have to be able to clear my mind completely. I've never meditated before. Making my brain shut up is not easy."

Dipper was quiet for a moment, lost in thought.

"Something on your mind?" asked Wendy, after a minute of relaxed silence.

"I was just wondering if maybe meditation would help me with my magic," said Dipper, as he sat up. "You said the contraceptive spell is multi-layered—I bet I need to be able to do multi-layered magic for more complex stuff like casting a glamour on myself to look human, or to, say, build a cabin?"

"Hey, if you wanna practice meditation with me and my mom, you're more than welcome. In fact," said Wendy, pulling her cellphone from her pocket, and glancing at the time, "it's almost time for my evening meditation practice anyway." She stood up and dusted off her backside, then held out a hand to Dipper. "Come on, champ. Let's go 'empty our minds.' The sooner I learn how to do that, the closer I'll be to mastering the contraceptive spell."

Dipper grabbed her hand and stood, then immediately began walking back in the direction of the Corduroy cabin. He still held Wendy's hand, and pulled her along behind him.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Dipper trailed off, and turned his head to grin back at Wendy. "Meditation is my new favorite activity."

/

Mabel and Fenris heard Ford before they saw him. His muffled voice emanated from the Mystery Shack gift shop, which was closed for the evening.

"Is Grunkle Ford…shouting at someone?" asked Mabel. She stood behind the door to the gift shop, reluctant to put herself in the middle of what sounded like a tense situation. Instead of entering the room, she pushed the door open only a crack, to hear what was being said. Fenris pricked his ears forward to aid in his eavesdropping.

"—have to take it easy on her! She's a thirteen-year-old girl, for crying out loud!" spat Ford.

"A thirteen-year-old girl who was instrumental in saving this realm from destruction once already, while she was only twelve," replied Arden calmly. "I am not 'being hard on her,' Stanford. I am preparing her for battle."

Ford scoffed. "When I went upstairs to check on her earlier, to see why she hadn't come to start her lessons, she was passed out in the middle of her floor.  _Passed out!_  She's constantly covered in bruises. Can't you at least give her some sort of padding or armor for training?"

"Actually," said Arden matter-of-factly, "she was passed out on her floor because she was ill this morning, and I healed her, then sent her back to the safety of her bedroom with that flea-bitten cur, because there was an attack on the Gravnemeta, and the healing had rendered her unconscious."

"Well—I—oh," sputtered Ford. "What kind of attack?"

Arden sounded slightly amused at Ford's change in tone. "A single basilisk came through from the beast realm."

Mabel had heard enough. She barged through the gift shop door, closely followed by Fenris.

"Are you kidding me?!" cried Mabel. "Something actually attacks the Gravnemeta, and I'm unconscious for it?!"

Fenris paid no attention to Mabel's ire, however, as he trotted up to Arden, lifted a leg, and pissed all over her feet.

_That's for calling me a flea-bitten cur, you tick-infested odiferous hag-seed._

"Fenris,  _no!_ " cried Mabel.

At the same time, Arden screeched and aimed a well-placed kick at Fenris' ribs, sending the dog reeling across the room with a yelp.

"Arden!" Mabel gasped in disbelief. Her eyes filled with tears, as she ran to check on Fenris, who was cowering in the corner.

"Now  _really_ , Arden," chided Ford. "That was quite unnecessary."

Arden glared at the puppy in the corner, being fawned over by her protégé. "I assure you, it was actually quite necessary. Mabel?"

Mabel turned to face Arden, Fenris cradled in her arms. She stared at her mentor with cold eyes.

"What?" she asked tersely.

"From now on, the dog is not to accompany you to our training sessions. I cannot abide ill-mannered beasts." Arden paused, and looked from Mabel to Ford, and back again. The two humans looked astonished and crestfallen at Arden's behavior. She frowned. "I know you now think I'm some kind of monster. I am not." She pointed an accusatory finger at Fenris. "He, however, is."

With that, Arden turned on her heel and made to leave. She paused for a moment at the door, as Fenris spoke to her.

_You really don't want to make an enemy of me, antler lady. If Mabel gets hurt in your care, I'll do a lot worse than piss on your feet._

Arden tossed her head derisively, pushed open the door, and was gone.

/

Dipper woke up with a start, as something thumped onto his chest.

"Who's there…Wendy?" he mumbled stupidly, rubbing his sleep-crusted eyes.

_Guess again, goat pants._

"Fenris?"

 _Ohhhh he got it right!_ said Fenris, giving Dipper a big, sloppy lick up the length of his face.

"Dude, gross," said Dipper, as he wiped puppy saliva off his cheek. He sat up slightly, and Fenris curled into a ball on his lap. Dipper sighed, and scratched behind Fenris' ears. He squinted at the clock and groaned.

"It's two in the morning, man," complained Dipper. "Why are you blipping over in the middle of the night?"

 _Do I really_ need  _an ulterior motive to visit my best friend, who I haven't seen in over a week because he's married and doesn't have time for me or his sister anymore?_

"Ugh, thanks very much for the guilt trip," sighed Dipper. "But yeah, at two in the morning I kind of expect there to be an ulterior motive."

_Would it be weird if I said it's the only time I'm comfortable leaving Mabel by herself?_

"Yes."

_Oh. Well, then wait a minute while I think of another reason._

"Dude, what is your deal with my sister?" asked Dipper. "Why are you suddenly attached at the hip?"

_You haven't spent much time with Mabel at all since you got back from the Green Realm, so I wouldn't expect you to have picked up on this, but your sister is lonely and miserable._

"Yeah right!" scoffed Dipper. "She's got Arden and Soos and Melody and the Stans…last time I talked to her she was fine!"

_Of course she made you think she was fine you numbskull! She doesn't want to detract from your newlywed bliss. But I'll tell you something nobody knows but me: she's cried herself to sleep almost every night since your handfasting._

"Wh—what?" stammered Dipper, gobsmacked. He'd always been able to easily pick up on his twin's emotional state. "Why?"

 _A lot of reasons,_ said Fenris.  _Mainly though I think she's overwhelmed by all the changes that have happened in the last month, she misses her brother, and she wants to help protect the Gravenemta, but Arden is being a complete bitch and running her ragged. Not to mention beating the crap out of her on a regular basis. Don't you remember talking to Soos the day of your wedding, and he mentioned that Mabel is always covered in bruises?_

"I—oh, man," said Dipper, facepalming. "I completely forgot. I'm officially the worst brother in the world."

 _Heh, you haven't met my brother._ Fenris sneezed and continued.  _Look, you need to talk to Arden about not training Mabel quite so hard, and maybe letting her wear armor. She won't listen to a word I say. Not to mention I'm now banned from Mabel's training sessions._

"Why, what'd you do, pee in Arden's shoes?" joked Dipper.

_Well…close enough._

"Wait, what?"

_Nothing. Look, promise me you'll talk to Arden. Tomo—well, technically, today. Later this morning. Mabel is trying her hardest to live up to Arden's standards, but Arden's standards are impossible. Just get Arden to back off on the drill sergeant routine a bit._

Dipper sighed and stroked the spot between Fenris' eyes with a finger.

"I'll talk to her, buddy. I promise."

_Good, that's what I like to hear. Now, not that you don't give delightful scritches, but I'm gonna blip off and go cuddle your sister. She's softer than you, and she doesn't smell like goat._

Before Dipper could respond, there was a soft pop, and Fenris was gone. Dipper laid back down, and turned on his side, thinking about what he was going to say to his sister's mentor. Maybe he'd talk to Beithe about it in the morning.

As Dipper drifted back to sleep in the Corduroy cabin, a few miles away in the Mystery Shack attic, Mabel rolled over, and when her hand landed on Fenris, she instinctively pulled him close and held him like a teddy bear. Fenris sighed, closed his eyes, and was lulled into slumber listening to the steady beat of Mabel's heart.


	2. Chapter 2

Dipper was awake when Beithe got up at her usual ungodly hour. What sleep he had been able to get, after Fenris had visited and thoroughly shamed him, was fitful and restless. He felt like the worst brother in all the realms. Mabel had been suffering, and he hadn't noticed. He hadn't spent enough time with her to be able to notice.

Dipper stood up off the sofa, and wandered into the kitchen, where Beithe was preparing her morning coffee. He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in clumps, and sighed. Beithe turned around, her eyebrows arched in surprise.

"You're up early," she commented. "You look like hell," she added as an afterthought.

Dipper smiled wryly. "Thanks, that's the look I was going for." He eyed the coffee brewing in Beithe's French press with longing. "There wouldn't be enough in there for me to have a cup, would there?"

Beithe grinned. "I always make more than I need," she said, as she opened the cabinet and grabbed another mug. "Is something on your mind?"

Dipper pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and sat down with a thump.

"Fenris blipped in to see me in the middle of the night," he said.

"Oh?" said Beithe, her back turned to Dipper as she poured steaming black coffee into two mugs. "You take cream or sugar?"

"Uh, yes. Lots of both, please," said Dipper sheepishly. He'd always considered taking one's coffee black to be a mark of maturity. Now that he was a god of mischief, he doubted he'd ever be mature enough to take his coffee black.

Beithe turned around and plunked Dipper's caramel-colored brew in front of him before sitting down on the opposite side of the table so she could face him. She held her coffee in both hands, and blew on it for a moment before taking a slow sip.

Dipper did the same. When he looked up from his cup, he noticed Beithe staring at him intently.

"Well?" she asked.

"It's really good," said Dipper.

"Not the coffee, genius, but thanks," said Beithe with a grin exactly like Wendy's. "You said something about Fenris blipping over here last night, and you seemed upset—what's going on?"

"Oh, I did, that," said Dipper, his cheeks warm. "Apparently I'm a horrible brother. Fenris told me Mabel's cried herself to sleep almost every night since we've been back from the Green Realm. She's been miserable, and I haven't noticed. Hell, I haven't been around her enough to notice."

Beithe frowned, and took another slow sip of coffee before responding. "Miserable how, exactly?"

"Well, the thing Fenris seemed most worried about is that Arden is pushing Mabel too hard in her training." He sighed, and stared down at his coffee, ashamed. "I was actually supposed to have already spoken to her on that subject, but I got sidetracked…with the handfasting and everything… and I forgot."

"Pushing her too hard in what way?" asked Beithe. "I've been friends with Arden for centuries. She is a goddess of the sacred wild, and of the hunt—she is not malevolent. If she is pushing your sister in her training, I'm sure it is not without reason."

Dipper looked up from his drink, and met Beithe's eyes.

"Beithe, both Soos and Fenris have told me that Mabel comes home from her trainings exhausted and  _covered_  in bruises. Arden doesn't let her wear any type of protective gear. Soos said that he's heard Mabel sobbing in the shower when she thought no one could hear her. Arden makes her train every day—doesn't give her a day of rest."

Beithe looked away from Dipper, and took another drink of coffee. Dipper frowned. He wasn't sure he was really getting through to Beithe, as she had never been a human herself. He sighed, and continued.

"Mabel isn't a goddess like you or Wendy… she's human, and only thirteen years old, to boot. Imagine someone treating Wendy like that when she was younger, and hadn't come into her godhood yet. Or treating your  _human_ sons like that."

Beithe frowned, her brow furrowed. "Yes, it does sound like she is being a bit tough on your sister. But Dipper, I'm not sure there is anything you can do about that. Mabel is Arden's protégé. She is training to be her priestess. It is not looked upon kindly for a god or goddess to meddle in the training or education of another god's mentee."

"Beithe, you said it yourself—you've been friends with Arden for centuries!" said Dipper, desperation clear in his voice. "Can't you come with me to the Gravnemeta and help explain why she can't keep running Mabel ragged the way she has been? Please?"

Beithe heaved a sigh, and gave Dipper a small smile. "You realize no matter what we say, we can't  _force_ Arden to change the way she's doing things, right?"

Dipper grinned. "So you'll come with me? I want to go soon, before Mabel gets there for her training today."

Beithe nodded, and drained her coffee mug, then got up and placed it in the sink.

"Yes, Dipper, I'll go with you. Just let me go get changed out of my pajamas. Be ready to blip in five."

Dipper gave her a thumbs up, and downed the rest of his sweet, now-lukewarm coffee in two gulps. He knew they'd be able to help Mabel. Arden was one of the good guys. She had to listen to reason.

/

Cold, gray light was just beginning to touch the treetops surrounding the Gravnemeta when Dipper and Beithe blipped over.

"Hello Beithe, Dipper. It is a bit early for visiting, is it not?" said Arden, who appeared directly in front of them, her arms folded across her chest. She was in her full goddess form, antlers sticking up through her windswept mass of dark brown curls.

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call, Arden," said Beithe. "Dipper?"

Dipper glanced over at Beithe with a scowl. He had hoped she'd do most of the talking, since she knew Arden best. Beithe didn't make eye-contact with Dipper, but the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

"You have something to say to me, kid?" said Arden, raising an eyebrow.

"Kid. Ha…be-because goat…" Dipper trailed off. He suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands. Without meaning to, he conjured a pair of fluffy mittens onto them. Beside him Beithe began to cough, in an attempt to disguise the giggle that she'd let slip.

Dipper shrugged. "So I have mittens now. That's… something."

"Yes, that shade of pink really suits you," said Arden tersely. "Now what do you want?"

"Oh, yeah," said Dipper uncomfortably, pulling the mittens off. "So you've been kind of pushing Mabel really hard and she's miserable and I think you should be nicer to her and not beat her up so bad and let her have more rest and some armor maybe?"

Arden stared at the satyr in front of her, seeming to take a moment to process what he'd said. Her face was unreadable as she turned to Beithe.

"Do you think I'm being too hard on Mabel?" Arden asked her old friend, the tone of her voice as unreadable as her countenance.

Beithe scratched the back of her head and shrugged. "The little Norse puppy-god seems pretty sure you're being too hard on her," she said slowly, "and Soos told Dipper that Mabel comes home covered in bruises, and that he hears her crying in the shower."

Arden stared at Beithe for a moment, then turned back to Dipper. "You  _do_ realize what I am training your sister for, right? You know what she is up against?"

"Uh…" Dipper faltered, wondering if it was a trick question. "Creatures invading the Gravnemeta from other realms?"

Arden nodded. "Creatures, yes. But also  _gods_. Gods from pantheons even more ancient than ours. Vengeful gods, who are bitter that humanity has all but forgotten them. Believe it or not, Dipper, not all gods are as nice as those of us from the Green Realm. In fact, I am surprised that mangy Norse whelp has not turned on you yet."

Dipper stared down at his hooves, as what Arden said sunk in.

"You alright, Dip?" asked Beithe, laying a warm hand on his shoulder. Dipper nodded mutely, then looked back up at Arden, fire in his eyes.

"Vengeful gods," he said quietly. "You want my sister—my  _human_  sister—to fight  _vengeful gods_?"

"You see now why I am—"

"Arden," Dipper said, cutting her off. "You're going to get Mabel killed! You know mortals can't kill gods. Why don't you do what Puck did for me, and make her a god, to give her a fighting chance?"

"As an elder god, as well as the Green Man's brother, Puck has more freedom than most gods when it comes to bestowing the gift of godhood," explained Arden with a sigh. "I cannot just transform Mabel into a goddess all willy-nilly. She has to prove herself worthy."

"But she might have to fight  _gods_!" cried Dipper. "She can't very well prove herself worthy if she's  _dead_."

Dipper looked at Beithe for back-up, but she held up her hands and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Dipper, but what she says is true—lesser gods can't… 'godify' mortals the way Puck did for you." Beithe paused and winced at her unintentional rhyme, before continuing. "Not unless they do something big and heroic—something that proves that their character transcends their mortality."

"Dipper, you seem to think my intention is to train Mabel and then just leave her here to defend the Gravnemeta on her own," said Arden, her hands on her hips. "That is simply not the case. She will help me, but I will be with her. I am not going to just leave her by herself when the entire mundane realm is threatened."

"Oh," said Dipper.

Arden smirked. "Feel better?"

"Sort of?" said Dipper, rubbing the back of his neck. "But what about her always being bruised and stuff?"

"What about  _who_  always being bruised and stuff?" said Mabel, emerging from the trees behind Arden. She was wearing black leggings and a hot pink tank top, her hair hanging loose around her shoulders. "You're not talking about  _me_ , are you, Dipper?"

"Woah, I didn't hear you coming!" said Dipper, chuckling nervously.

"Good," she replied, without smiling. "Moving silently through the woods is something Arden has been teaching me. What are you  _doing_ here Dipper?" She glanced at Beithe. "And you, too, why are you guys here?"

"Um, I'm trying to be a good brother, I guess," said Dipper. "Because you're always so tired and miserable and bruised and I think Arden might be working you too hard…" He trailed off slowly at the look of anger on his twin's face.

"How would you know?" she spat. "It's not like I've seen you for more than like fifteen whole minutes since the day you came back from the Green Realm."

 _Told you_ said Fenris smugly, from somewhere out of sight.

Dipper's eyes darted around the edge of the clearing, looking in vain for his friend, who was hidden among the trees. He then turned to Beithe and Arden, to see if they had heard the Norse god of destruction in their heads. Neither gave any indication that they had.

"Look, Mabel, I'm sorry," Dipper said as he turned back to his sister, breaking the awkward silence. "I just—I didn't realize that—"

"Don't worry about it," Mabel interrupted coldly. "I don't need your help. What I  _need_  is to get started training. You should leave."

Dipper flinched, as if Mabel had slapped him. He opened his mouth to say more, but Beithe gently touched his shoulder, the air pressure around him changed, everything went momentarily dark, and he found himself back in the Corduroy's living room.

"I'm sorry to have blipped you away so abruptly, Dipper," said Beithe. She sat down on the sofa and patted the seat beside her. Dipper sunk down into it wordlessly and stared at his hands.

"I was worried that you were just going to end up arguing with Mabel," continued Beithe. "You'd already said your piece to Arden. Now it is up to her as to whether she will heed your words in regards to your sister's training regimen."

Dipper sighed and ran his fingers through his unkempt hair. "I really screwed things up. I mean, Mabel's always been…I've seen her act like that to  _other_ people before, but never me. That look she gave me—that's always been reserved for kids who would bully me in school. She always got them to stop somehow… I never figured out her trick."

"So what you're saying, is that Mabel is a protector," said Beithe. "Your sister has always looked after you."

"Well, yeah…I guess," said Dipper slowly. "I mean, we looked after each other…"

"This is how I see it," said Beithe, lightly grabbing Dipper's chin to turn his head toward her. "You're a god now. Immortal. Capable of magic. Mabel doesn't need to protect you anymore. But she still has the protector's instinct—that's most likely what drew Arden's attention to her. Mabel wants to make sure that all her family and friends are safe, and Arden has offered her training to be able to do that. She seems to be taking it very seriously. Dipper, you should allow her this."

Dipper leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. "But what if she gets hurt?"

"I think she's aware of what could happen to her. Arden doesn't mince words. That's not her style," said Beithe, a small smile playing at her lips. "The best thing you can do for your sister now is to be there for her. Remind her she's not alone in all this. Be the brother she deserves."

Dipper nodded mutely. A loud clatter from the kitchen made them both jump.

"Looks like the Corduroy clan awakens," said Beithe, grinning. She patted Dipper on the knee, and got up, headed toward the kitchen.

Dipper stayed in his seat, staring at his hands again, lost in thought.

/

Fenris was pleased to see that Arden had at least listened to Dipper on one account—as he watched quietly from the shadows of the forest, Arden presented Mabel with a hooded, sleeveless, fitted black leather cuirass, as well as matching bracers and greaves.

Fenris crept forward to better hear what Mabel and Arden were saying.

"This isn't because of Dipper, is it?" asked Mabel softly, as she laced up the front of the cuirass. "You don't have to listen to him—I'm fine."

Arden smiled. "I had actually already planned to give you the armor today anyway. Even though leather armor is considered 'light,' it is heavier than the practice clothing you are accustomed to." She knelt to help Mabel lace up her greaves. "I wanted you to gain strength before I gifted you the armor, because wearing it will be tiring and uncomfortable—at first. But I think you are strong enough now to work through any fatigue the armor may cause."

"Oh," said Mabel, her cheeks turning pink. "You think I've gotten stronger?"

"Do not act so humble," Arden said with a chuckle. She gripped Mabel's left bicep. "Flex."

Mabel's ears reddened, but she did what she was asked.

"You are quite a bit more solid than you were a month ago," said Arden. "Your stamina is better too." She stood up, and planted both fists on her hips. "I think you are ready."

Fenris cocked his head to the side. Ready for what? Surely Arden didn't plan on leaving Mabel to protect the Gravnemeta alone.

Mabel's voice echoed Fenris's concern. "Ready for what, exactly?"

"This," said Arden. She held out her hands, and a long polearm with a wickedly sharp-looking sword attached to the end of it appeared in her grasp. "The glaive."

/

Mabel arrived back at the Mystery Shack a bit later than usual, sweaty and disheveled, but grinning at the antics of the shaggy black puppy darting around her feet. She was still wearing her new armor, and her glaive was slung over her shoulder, the sword on its end wrapped in heavy, red wool fabric, tied on with a white ribbon.

She pushed the back door to the house open, and called out. "Grunkle Ford, I'm home! Sorry I'm late, I—"

She stopped short, as Pacifica swept in quickly from the gift-shop with her finger to her lips.

"Ixnay on the odsgay!" she muttered, and glanced behind her to the tall, bespectacled young man following her through the door, who raised a single eyebrow at Mabel's attire and weaponry.

"Is there some kind of medieval faire or re-enactment going on, Paz?" he asked with mild curiosity. "Fancy dress party, maybe?"

Pacifica shook her head gently, and held a hand to her forehead. "Yeah, Den, you just missed it, though. This is Mabel. She lives here. Oh, and her puppy, Fenris. Mabel, this is my cousin Denis. I was just giving him a tour of the Shack. He's visiting for the weekend. I get to chauffer him around."

Denis glanced at his cousin and smirked. "That implies that you're the one driving  _me_  around, cuz." He held his hand out to Mabel, and smiled. "Nice to meet you."

Mabel looked down at her dirty, blister-covered hand, winced, and then held it up and waggled her fingers. "You probably don't want to shake this—but nice to meet you anyway, Denis."

Denis withdrew his proffered hand.

"Well, Mabel should probably go clean up," said Pacifica, as she attempted steer her cousin away by the elbow. "She smells like… exercise."

Mabel looked down at her feet, her cheeks red. Fenris, noticing her embarrassment, yipped to draw attention away from Mabel's discomfort. He needn't have, however.

"Wow, Paz, that was rude of you," Denis scolded his younger cousin, pulling his arm away from her. "You don't smell bad, Mabel. You actually smell nice, like pine trees and leather."

Mabel's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of crimson, as she looked up at Denis from under her eyelashes.

"Pacifica never has been one to use tact," continued Denis, gracing Mabel with a winning smile. "I'm not sure she knows the meaning of the word."

Fenris could tell Mabel wasn't embarrassed anymore. In fact, she seemed pleased. Fenris didn't know how to feel about that. He was used to being the only one to be able to cheer up Mabel. He should be happy that Denis's words had comforted Mabel. Instead, Fenris felt a hollow sensation in his gut, and… anger? Denis hadn't done anything to be angry about. Confused, Fenris, let out a small whimper and sat on top of Mabel's feet.

Mabel leaned her glaive against the wall, and reached down to pick up the puppy, holding him to her chest.

"What's wrong, Fen?" she asked, rubbing his ears gently. He burrowed closer against Mabel, and let out another small whimper, enjoying the attention.

"I've never heard him whimper like that before," Mabel explained to Pacifica and Denis, before focusing again on Fenris. "You okay, buddy?"

"Do you mind if I take a look at him?" asked Denis, reaching toward Fenris. "I'm taking college-level classes this year and next so that I'll be able to become a certified veterinary technician after I graduate high school."

"Oh, that's really cool!" enthused Mabel.

"Ugh, don't encourage him," muttered Pacifica. "Unless you want to be lectured on proper canine nutrition and the importance of spaying and neutering your animals."

Mabel shrugged and grinned. She held Fenris out toward Denis, face first.

Fenris felt his anger flare up again, and a low growl rumbled deep in his chest. He snarled at Denis, forgetting that he was not in his fearsome wolf form. The snarl did the trick, however, and Denis withdrew his hands.

"Fenris!" cried Mabel. "What's gotten into you?  _Bad boy_!" She sat him unceremoniously on the floor with a thump. "I'm so sorry, he's never acted like that before!"

Mabel was upset with him now. Fenris had seen Mabel upset plenty of times before, but it was never at him. Thoroughly ashamed of himself, he tucked his tail between his legs and stared at the floor, his ears drooping.

"Aw, it's okay," said Denis, with a wave of his hand. "If he's not feeling good, he may act different than normal. If he doesn't seem to perk up by tomorrow, you may want to take him to your vet, though. Especially if you notice any vomiting or diarrhea."

"Okay, ew," said Pacifica. "On that note, it's time to go, Den." She began to push him back toward the gift shop door.

"Okay, thanks. Nice to meet you!" Mabel called out as Pacifica and Denis disappeared into the gift shop.

Mabel turned back to Fenris, who gave her his most pitiful puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, you  _should_ be ashamed, mister," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm gonna get cleaned up. You go to my room and think about what you've done."

Mabel grabbed her glaive and started up the stairs at a trot. Fenris, who was normally right at her heels, slowly slunk up the stairs behind her, his tail still between his legs. He couldn't  _stop_  thinking about what he'd done… he was as confused about it as Mabel was.

/

Mabel was finishing her daily studies in Ford's laboratory when she heard the faint clomp of hooves, as well as the shuffle of human footsteps coming from the floor above.

"Oh great," she muttered. "Hey Fen, your buddy Dipper's here…oh." She peered under the table where Fenris would normally be laying at her feet, and remembered that he'd stayed up in her room this time—of his own volition, in fact. Mabel felt a twinge of guilt. The scolding she'd given him had definitely taken, maybe a little too well.

Mabel closed her notebook with a sigh, and tossed her pencil lightly aside. She wasn't particularly sure she wanted to see Dipper after this morning, but she wanted to ask him about Fenris's strange behavior. She stood and stretched his stiff muscles, then strode to the elevator and rode it up to the gift shop.

Mabel pushed the secret door behind the vending machine open, and nearly jumped out of her skin as she was hit by a wall of sound.

"SURPRISE!" cried the roomful of people.

The gift shop had been decorated with multicolored balloons and streamers, and fairy lights were strung on all the walls and doorways. There was a small buffet of snacks, complete with a chocolate fountain, set up on the counter next to the till.

Dipper, Wendy, Beithe, Arden, Grenda, Bork, Soos, Melody, and both Grunkles grinned at Mabel as she stared at them, mouth agape.

"Wh—I—huh?" was all Mabel could manage.

Dipper stepped forward, wringing his hands nervously. Before he could open his mouth to speak, a pair of fluffy, pink mittens appeared on them.

"Oh—what—again?" he said. He sighed and pulled the mittens off, and held them out to Mabel. "Mittens?"

Mabel reached out and took the mittens, clutching them to her chest. "What… what's this for?"

"Oh, well, apparently when I don't know what to do with my hands I conjure mittens," explained Dipper. "Not really sure why…?"

Mabel laughed. "No, Dipstick, not the mittens. (Thanks, though, they're really nice). But the party? Why the party?"

"Oh, hurr durr," said Dipper, facepalming. "Yeah, the party. It's just kind of… because? I wanted to do something to show you how much we all appreciate you—how much  _I_ appreciate you. Things have been… differenty…lately. But you're still the best sister I could ever ask for—and you're training so hard, and sacrificing so much, just to protect us all. You're amazing, Mabel. I'm sorry I haven't been a good brother lately."

Mabel tried to respond, but the lump in her throat prevented it. She wiped her eyes, which were leaking for some reason, and threw herself forward, hugging her brother tightly.

The room burst into cheers, startling Mabel again. She had forgotten anyone else was there. She pulled back, and looked at her friends and family.

"Well, are we going to party, or are we going to  _party?!_ "

Dipper grinned. "There's the Mabel we all know and love! Hit it Soos!"

"You got it, Goat Bro!" cried the man-child, with a thumbs up. Soon 80's pop music was blaring, and Mabel was dancing with Grenda and Wendy, without a care in the world.

/

The party was going strong. Soos and Grenda were competing to see who could eat the most chocolate-covered marshmallows, while Stan took bets. As Dipper watched his sister laughing and cheering from across the room, he felt a warm hand slip around his waist from behind.

"Hey pretty lady," he murmured, leaning back into Wendy's embrace.

"Hey yourself, boy-o," she whispered into his ear, before gently nibbling on his earlobe.

Dipper involuntarily shuddered. "You…you are  _such_  a tease," he said, his voice trembling.

"And you wouldn't have it any other way," Wendy breathed hotly into his ear, her soft fingers tracing a path over his bare chest.

Dipper bit his lower lip. "Hnnnnggggg," was all he could say. He backed up slowly, until he and Wendy were both in the aisle between two of the gift shop shelves, out of view of the rest of the party. When he was sure no one could see them, he swiftly turned, grabbed Wendy's waist, pulled her close, and pressed his mouth against hers forcefully.

Wendy returned his kiss with just as much force. She ran her fingers through his shaggy brown hair, gripped it tightly, and pressed her whole body into his. She ground her hips into his, and moaned low against his mouth.

Dipper pulled his mouth away from hers, panting. Their eyes met, and in Wendy's glittering emerald gaze he saw nothing but lust. He smirked, and leaned in so his mouth was next to her ear.

"Turnabout's fair play," he breathed. "Time for me to tease you." He nibbled her earlobe softly, then moved down, and gently kissed the hollow at the base of her throat. He began to unbutton her flannel shirt, and continued to press kisses into her neck, and then trailed his tongue slowly down her chest, to the top of her cleavage.

"Mmmmm," said Wendy. "Don't stop, Dipper. Please don't stop…"

 _Dipper_?

Dipper's head shot up immediately. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Um,  _what_?" snapped Wendy, all traces of lust melting away from her gaze.

"Oh, shit! No, no, no, nononono! Not you, Wendy!" said Dipper, panicking. "Sorry, sorry! Fenris just talked to me, in my head."

Wendy stared at Dipper for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Gods, you're adorable when you panic."

Dipper feigned irritation. "I'm not  _adorable_ , I'm  _manly_."

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Mandorable?"

Dipper pursed his lips. "That is acceptable."

"Good," said Wendy, gently booping Dipper on the nose. "Where is the pupper, anyway? I haven't seen him all evening."

"Now that you mention it, neither have I," said Dipper, frowning.

_Dipper, can I have a word? I'm in Mabel's room._

"He's in Mabel's room," supplied Dipper.

Wendy narrowed her eyes. "But you just said—"

Dipper grinned and tapped his forehead.

"Ah," said Wendy, as she rebuttoned the top of her shirt. "You better go see what he wants. I wanna see who won the marshmallow-eating-contest anyway."

Dipper nodded. "I placed my bet on Grenda. If she won, Grunkle Stan better pay up."

Wendy grabbed Dipper's hand and gently squeezed it. "As for our…discussion…that was interrupted? We'll continue that later." She winked, then turned and strode over to the rest of the partiers.

Dipper's cheeks flushed. "Yes, ma'am."

/

"What's up, dog?"

Fenris raised his head to see Dipper standing in the doorway of Mabel's bedroom, a cheeky grin on his face. Fenris sighed, and rested his chin on his front paws again.

"Oh come on, not even a little waggle? Nothing?" said Dipper, pressing his hand against his heart. "I'm hurt!"

_Ha. Ha._

"Okay with the sarcasm, then," said Dipper, slightly miffed. He sat down on the edge of his old bed, and stared at the forlorn puppy laying on the floor. "What's going on with you? How come you're not downstairs enjoying the party?"

 _Oh, so that's what all that noise is. A party. I can hear Mabel laughing. Is that Denis guy there_?

"Oh…oh crap. Nobody told you about the party," Dipper said, guilt sweeping over him like a wave. "I'm so sorry, dude. We all assumed you were hanging with Mabel, like you always do, and would find out about the party when she did. So, you've been up here the whole time? And who the hell is Denis?"

Fenris felt his tail wag involuntarily. Denis wasn't there. Good.

_Yeah, Mabel was upset with me earlier, so I didn't want to make things worse by following her around. And Denis…he's the blonde human's relative._

"Oh, yeah, Pacifica did say she couldn't come to the party because she and her parents are entertaining family from out of town. That makes sense," said Dipper with a nod. "But what could you possibly have done to upset Mabel? She loves you! And you can't even talk to her, so it's not like you said something rude…"

Fenris lowered his head, and couldn't look Dipper in the eye.

_I was… well. Pacifica embarrassed Mabel… and then Denis comforted Mabel. She smiled at him a lot. Mabel was handing me to him because she thought I might be sick…and he does school or something for "veterinary technician" and basically I growled and snarled at him and that made Mabel mad._

Dipper was silent for a long moment—long enough that Fenris dared to look up at him. Finally, Dipper spoke.

"Dude. You're jealous."

 _That is not a word I know_.

Dipper chuckled. "He comforted her. And that made you mad, right?"

 _I don't know about mad… it's just…I am used to being the one who makes Mabel smile. I found it…disconcerting…that he so easily was able to take my place_.

"Well, to be fair, he can actually talk to her, and you can't," said Dipper. "But that doesn't mean he took your place… words can be very comforting, but that doesn't mean Mabel will find any less comfort in you."

Fenris sighed.  _I wish I could talk to her. Stupid non-human-shaped vocal cords._

Dipper awkwardly knelt down to onto the floor, and reached out to scratch the top of Fenris's head.

"One awesome thing about Mabel," said Dipper thoughtfully, "is that she doesn't hold grudges. Not for long, anyway. I bet she's already forgotten all about your… incident… with Denis."

_I hope so. I don't like being in the dog-house._

"Ah! Haha I see what you did there! That's more like it," Dipper said, grinning. "We need to hang out more often… I'm worried that your witty banter skills are becoming rusty."

Fenris whuffed softly.  _Feel free to come hang out in the woods with me while Mabel trains. I still don't trust the antler lady. She reminds me too much of the antler guy. The one who wanted to shoot me in the face with an arrow? Who tried to grope your tree-princess? Antlerita may not be a'bad guy' in the same way her brother isn't a 'bad guy.' But you can be an asshole without being evil, you know?_

Dipper laughed. "I want that printed on a t-shirt. 'You can be an asshole without being evil.'" He stood up and walked over to the door. "How about you come join the party? It sounds like it's still going strong."

_Nah, I think I'll stay up here. But thanks for talking to me. You're not bad for a Green Realm dude._

Dipper flapped a hand at his friend. "Aw shucks, you're makin' me blush." He opened the door, then turned and nodded to Fenris. "Later, doggo."

Fenris lay on the floor, alone with his thoughts, until Mabel returned.

Dipper was right—Mabel didn't hold a grudge. After the party wound down, she came upstairs and fell into bed.

"Fen?" she mumbled, feeling around for her puppy in the darkness. Fenris cautiously hopped onto the bed, and touched his nose to her cheek, causing her to giggle. She picked him up and held him close like a teddy bear.

"You're a good boy," she murmured into his fur, then kissed the top of his head. "I love you, Fenris."

_I love you, too._

/

Morning dawned much too early, as far as Mabel was concerned. She groggily dressed in leggings and a tank top, and was beginning to head downstairs when she heard a soft whuff. She turned to see her shaggy, black puppy, his head cocked to the side, holding one of her leather bracers in his mouth.

"Ah, crap my armor… and my glaive!" She grabbed her cuirass and started putting it on over her tank top. "You are  _such_ a good boy, Fen! Arden would have turned me into a moose or something if I forgot all my new gear the day after she gave it to me!"

Fenris sneezed. He wouldn't put it past Arden to turn Mabel into a moose.

Once Mabel was garbed in her armor, with her glaive over her shoulder, she took off for the Gravnemeta at a run. She would have to set her alarm even earlier now, to make up for the time it took to don her armor, with all the straps and laces involved.

As Mabel approached the Gravnemeta, she shooed Fenris away. "You know if she sees you she'll just get angry," she said apologetically, reaching down to pat his head. He licked her hand, then whuffed softly, and scampered off to find a hiding spot with a good view of the clearing.

For about an hour, Fenris watched as Mabel repeated the same glaive drills over and over, with Arden occasionally stopping her to correct her form. Fenris felt his eyes growing heavy. He hadn't slept until Mabel came to bed late last night. He wasn't sure if it was because he was in the mundane realm, or because he was in the body of a puppy, but it surprised him how much sleep he required now. In his full wolf form, he barely required any sleep, and in the dog form he'd been in when he first met Dipper, he could usually go days with only a short nap to sustain him.

Fenris yawned and blinked slowly, laying his head on his paws.

A scream tore through the Gravnemeta, and Fenris shot up, suddenly on alert. The sun was higher in the sky than he remembered it being only moments ago. He must have actually fallen asleep. He blinked blearily, his heart pounding.

"ARDEN! SOMEONE, HELP!" shrieked Mabel.

Fenris flew into the clearing, and his hackles rose. Three grayish, winged, humanoid creatures were swooping down at Mabel, raptor-like claws on their feet outstretched. Arden was nowhere in sight.

Fenris had never seen creatures like these. Their eyes glowed a deep red, as if lit from within by some demonic hellfire. When they opened their mouths to shriek, foul black smoke poured out. They reeked of decay.

Mabel was putting up a good fight, slicing and jabbing at the creatures with her razor-sharp glaive, not allowing them to get close enough to attack her in earnest. However, she was tiring quickly, and was clearly outmatched.

One of the creatures managed to dodge the glaive, and raked its claws along the exposed flesh of Mabel's upper left arm. Blood flowed fast and freely, and Mabel cried out in pain.

Fenris saw the creature who had just injured Mabel wheel around, and smile malevolently as it held its hands together, and formed a ball of blue flames. Mabel didn't see it, being busy trying to keep the other two winged creatures from flying low enough to strike her.

 _MABEL GET DOWN!_ screamed Fenris with all his might.

All that Mabel heard was a high-pitched yelp from her puppy. She turned to look at Fenris, her eyes wide, as an enormous ball of sapphire flame hit her back and blossomed out around her, throwing her to the ground.

It wasn't a choice, it was instinct—with the sound of a sonic boom, Fenris exploded into his full wolf form.

_DIPPER, WENDY, BEITHE, ANY GODS WHO CAN HEAR ME—GET TO THE GRAVNEMETA NOW! MABEL IS HURT, BADLY!_

Fenrir leapt at the creature who had thrown the fireball, snarling. It dodged his fangs, and his teeth came together with an audible clack. The creature opened its mouth, and appeared to be shouting, although Fenrir heard its voice as no more than a harsh whisper.

"We know who you are," it hissed. "You bring nothing but destruction, chaos, and misery. You are fighting on the wrong side, Fenrir. You are one of us. Join us. Embrace your destiny."

_NEVER._

Fenrir leapt, and snatched the creature's legs, yanking it out of the sky, and shaking it around like a rag-doll. With the creature still in his mouth he raced closer to the giant oak tree, and shook it so that its head hit the tree trunk with a loud crack. Fenrir spat the mangled creature out, so that it dropped limply to the ground. He placed a gigantic paw against its chest, but he needn't have bothered—the creature was not moving, its eyes now a dull pink, its mouth frozen in a terrified scream. Not wanting to take any chances, Fenrir clamped his mouth over the creature's head, and with a loud, sucking, popping noise, tore the creature's head from its body. Its blood burnt the insides of his mouth like acid, but if Fenrir felt pain, he didn't acknowledge it. He turned, his chest heaving, to attack the other two creatures—but they were gone.

Instead he was met with the sight of Dipper, Wendy, Beithe, Puck, and a small, unfamiliar woman, standing over Mabel's prone form. She was laid out on a stretcher, a light blanket over her lower half. Her face was bone white.

 _Mabel!_ he cried in anguish.  _She's not—is—is she?_

"Mabel is in critical condition, but she's stable," the small woman spoke up. "I am not as good as Arduinna at treating battle injuries such as these, however. Where is she?"

Fenrir sat down with a thump, his eyes not leaving Mabel's ashen face.  _I don't know. I—I fell asleep, and woke up to Mabel screaming, under attack from three malevolent winged creatures. I have no idea where Arden is_.

"Three?" questioned Beithe. "When we arrived we only saw the one you were fighting."

"Then the other two could still be out here somewhere?" asked Dipper, hatred making his voice hard. He peered at the tree line, as if expecting them to jump out.

Puck, who was being unusually quiet, finally spoke up. "Sirona, you and the others take Mabel to my—Tad Strange's house. I have a spare bedroom you can use as a temporary clinic. Fenrir, you stay. We need to talk."

Fenrir watched anxiously as the rest of the group blipped Mabel away to Tad Strange's house. Once they were gone, he turned to Puck.

 _I didn't mean to let her get hurt_.  _I didn't do anything wrong._

Puck looked taken aback. "I wasn't aware of accusing you of anything? In fact, when it comes time to point fingers, it's Arden who's going to have a lot to answer for."

 _Oh,_ said Fenrir sheepishly.  _Then what do we need to talk about?_

"Come with me," said Puck, as he wandered over toward the oak tree and the creature's corpse. "I want to poke it with a stick."

_Um._

Puck chuckled darkly. "I just wanna find out what kind of baddy we're dealing with, kid. Was it any kind of creature you've come across before?"

Fenrir shook his head.  _Never. But whatever they are is pure evil._

Puck produced a large stick, and indeed, began poking the creature's mangled body with it. He then poked its decapitated head, which was lying face down, so that he could see its facial features.

"Yeesh," said Puck, taking a step back. "Almost looks like a weeping angel. Have you seen a blue box around here anywhere?"

_A blue—what?_

Puck flapped his hand impatiently. "Pop culture reference. Never you mind. Now, how did it attack?"

 _Well, claws… and it took Mabel down with a big blue fireball._ Fenrir felt his blood run cold as he remembered the face Mabel had made—her wide, surprised, eyes—as the fireball exploded against her back.

"Well, shit," said Puck. "I think I know what they are. And there are a lot of them. I've never dealt with them, because their realm has been tightly sealed for millennia…yeah," Puck rubbed the back of his neck, and poked the creature's head so that it was no longer staring vacantly up at them. "Yeah, this ain't good. I gotta go find Arden."

Fenrir barely heard anything Puck said. He couldn't get Mabel's face out of his mind. He heard a soft pop, and when he looked up, Puck was gone, leaving him alone with the remains of the creature who had nearly killed Mabel—who had said he was 'one of them.'

Fenrir threw his head back, and let loose a long, mournful howl, that echoed off the nearby mountains. Mabel had been attacked, and when he tried to warn her about the fireball, he'd only ended up startling her, and distracting her from her foes. He couldn't protect Mabel in his puppy form, and he doubted very much that he would be able to comfort her as a gigantic wolf.

 _Why does it have to be either/or? Why can't I keep her safe, and comfort her? Why can't I just_ talk _to her?_

Fenrir wailed in frustration, and took off at a run, into the woods, in the opposite direction of Gravity Falls.


	3. Chapter 3

Early morning sunlight filtered in through the curtains, and fell across Mabel's face. She was pale, but looked otherwise healthy. The laceration on her upper arm was healed—the only thing that gave any indication of wound's previous existence was a line of pink scar tissue. The burns on her back from the fireball were still healing, but floating in a makeshift spring in Tad Strange's spare bedroom was hurrying the process along considerably.

"Sirona, can I come in?" a voice called through the door.

Sirona glanced at her charge, to make sure that the current from the spring hadn't dislodged the sheet covering Mabel's naked form.

"Yeah, Dipper, come on in!" chirped Sirona.

Dipper pushed open the door, and took a seat on a moss-covered boulder situated next to the spring. He peered down at his twin's face, hoping to see her staring back at him. Her eyes remained closed.

"She's going to wake up soon, right?" asked Dipper, with a small frown. "It's been a week since she got hurt—isn't magical healing supposed to be faster than this?"

The petite, colorfully tattooed brunette sighed, and looked down at the albino Burmese python slithering up the side of the stone bench on which she was perched.

"How many times has he asked us that, Cecil?" she asked. "I think that's the fourth time since yesterday morning."

The snake reached her lap, and laid its head across it like a dog. Sirona nodded and absently rubbed the top of its head with a finger.

"Cecil says to tell you to be patient," said Sirona. She smiled at the worried satyr. "As I've told you, I can't know for certain when she'll wake up, but yes it should be soon. You have to remember, sweetie, she had third degree burns on her back! Even with magical help, it takes a body a lot of time and energy to come back from an injury like that."

Dipper looked at his hands, sheepishly. "Sorry," he mumbled. "It's just—with her being in a coma, and both Fenris and Arden missing, I'm kind of freaking out."

Sirona raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of Arden, does Puck think he's any closer to tracking her down?"

"Well, when I talked to him last night, he told me he thought he was getting close," said Dipper. "He was able to confirm his suspicion that the creatures that attacked the Gravnemeta were, in fact, daevas."

Sirona pursed her lips. "Oh dear, that's not good at all. And your Norse wolf friend—I wonder where he ran off to? And for that matter, why?"

"I think Fenris blames himself for Mabel getting hurt," said Dipper. "He'd kind of appointed himself Mabel's guardian, so he's probably off somewhere, flagellating himself for failing her. I wish he would come home. None of us thinks that what happened to Mabel was his fault."

"What's that Cecil?" asked Sirona, looking down at the python. "Indeed, I believe you are right." She looked back up at Dipper. "Cecil says that the tendency to always be harder on oneself, more so than one would be to others in the same situation, apparently manifests in gods as well as humans."

"Too right, Cecil," said Dipper, nodding to the snake. "Well, I need to go. It's my shift to guard the Gravnemeta."

"Take care, Dipper," said Sirona. "And don't worry about Mabel—she's a fighter. She'll be up soon."

/

The cheerful tinkling sound of water splashing over rocks was the first thing Mabel noticed when she woke up. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling completely disoriented.

"Wet," she mumbled. She stared up at the ceiling of a darkened room, which was confusing, because she was lying in running water. She slowly sat up, wincing slightly as her movement pulled at the taut, barely healed tissue covering her back.

She looked down, and visually confirmed what she had both heard and felt: she was in what appeared to be a natural spring, surrounded by moss-covered rocks and a stone bench…inside a house. But not her house—not her room.

Mabel then realized that she was in the nude, covered only by a thin sheet, which was just as soaked as she was. She hugged the sheet to her chest, and shivered. The water was lukewarm and pleasant, but sitting up had caused a draft to hit her upper body, instantly chilling her.

"Hello?" Mabel called out. "Is anyone there?"

A light, crunching sound, like something sliding over pebbles, came from her left. Mabel didn't see what was causing it until it slithered into a moonbeam coming in through the window.

"Oh," said Mabel, quietly. "Snake. Big snake." She stared at it, and it flicked its tiny, forked tongue at her. She stuck her tongue out back at it.

Mabel jumped, startled, as the door to the room burst open. She turned, expecting to see Arden, or maybe Dipper, but instead was greeted by a smiling stranger.

"It's about time you woke up, kiddo! You've had everyone worried sick!"

"Uh, sorry?" said Mabel. "Um, who are you?"

"Oh, durr. I'm not so good with introductions. My name is Sirona, and it appears you've already met my buddy, Cecil."

Mabel glanced at the python. "Hi, Cecil."

Cecil nodded to her.

"So, you're a goddess?" prompted Mabel, turning back to face Sirona.

"Yeppers," said Sirona. "Goddess of healing springs and snakes. It's kind of a niche position."

"Healing springs," echoed Mabel. "I guess that explains…" she paused and waved a hand at her surroundings.

"Indeed," said Sirona, in mock seriousness. She leaned over the spring and held a hand out to Mabel. "Now, up you get. I need to have a look at your back, and then you'd probably appreciate some clothing, no?"

Sirona pulled Mabel to her feet, and helped her step out of the water. Mabel still clung to the soggy sheet with one arm, as water slowly trickled down her body. Sirona led Mabel to the stone bench, and traded her soaked sheet for a warm, dry version of the same. Mabel mumbled her thanks.

"Does the skin on your back still feel sore or tight?" asked Sirona. She stood behind Mabel, and ran her cool hands lightly over Mabel's injuries.

"Yeah, kind of," said Mabel. "If I bend too far or move too quickly it feels like it's pulling or something."

"I figured as much," said Sirona. "I'm going to rub a salve on your back that will help continue the healing process. It should moisturize and loosen the scar tissue a bit, so that movement will not cause that pulling sensation."

Mabel sighed as Sirona rubbed the salve into her back, the warmth from the concoction seeping through her skin and down into her tired muscles.

"So where's Arden?" asked Mabel. "She's a healer—why didn't  _she_  heal me?"

"Mabel, what exactly do you remember about the fight that landed you in my care?" asked Sirona.

"Not much," admitted Mabel. "These ugly creatures with wings… and then I saw Fenris, and—oh my God, Fenris! Is he okay?"

"Oh, no worries," said Sirona. "I'm sure the Norse wolf is just fine. He took out one of those nasties with no help from anyone else. He sure has a voice on him, too. Well, 'voice,' I should say, on account of not having human vocal cords. But I heard him calling for help all the way at my clinic in Portland. He was really worried about you."

Mabel narrowed her eyes in confusion. She turned to look at Sirona.

"I'm not sure who you're talking about, but Fenris is my puppy."

Sirona frowned. "Well, I don't know what to tell you, darlin', but I didn't see any puppy at the Gravnemeta. Just a really upset Norse god of destruction." She finished rubbing the salve into Mabel's back, and wiped her hands on a cloth. Without giving Mabel a chance to ask questions, she continued speaking.

"Now, your brother wanted me to inform him as  _soon_  as you woke up—but I figured you'd want to be clothed first. There's some clothes in that dresser there. I'm going to blip over and let your brother know you're awake, so you'd best hurry and get dressed."

Without another word, Sirona was gone. Mabel shook her head in confusion, and grabbed a t-shirt, and a pair of oversized gray sweatpants from the dresser. She had just finished pulling up the pants when there was a soft pop behind her, and she was nearly thrown back into the spring by a tacklehug from behind.

"MABEL! Holy crap, don't ever scare me like that again!" cried Dipper.

"Woah, easy on the goods, Dipstick!" said Mabel, with a grin. "I'm still kind of mending."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" said Dipper hastily, gently steering Mabel to sit back down on the stone bench. "I'm just so glad you're okay!"

Dipper sat next to Mabel, and grasped her hand. "You've been out for an entire week! Everyone's been crazy worried about you!"

"Is everyone else okay?" asked Mabel.

"Well," said Dipper slowly, "as far as we know…"

"Dipper," said Mabel, frowning, "what is that supposed to mean?" She pulled her hand out of his grasp and folded her arms across her chest.

"It's just—we're not sure where Arden is. You appeared to be alone in the Gravnemeta when the daevas attacked."

"The what?" asked Mabel, her brow furrowed.

"Daevas… they creatures that attacked you," said Dipper. "I'll have to have Puck or Beithe explain them to you, because I'm not even sure I understand."

Mabel nodded, and looked down at the stream.

"What about Fenris?" she asked quietly. "Sirona said she didn't see a puppy when she arrived at the Gravnemeta after the attack, but I  _know_  he was there." Mabel paused and looked her brother in the eye.

"She  _did_ , however, mention a wolf—the Norse god of destruction?"

Dipper's ears turned a deep shade of crimson.

"Yeah… I didn't mean for you to find out like this… I mean, I tried to tell you before, but you thought I was joking, so I just let it go…" Dipper paused, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I should have tried harder to tell you, but I thought it was kind of funny, you treating the Norse god of destruction as a pet…" He trailed off when he met Mabel's eyes.

"So let me get this straight," said Mabel quietly. "Fenris— _my_  little Fenris—is actually the Great Wolf from the Norse legends?"

Dipper nodded, and looked down at his hands.

"So. He's a god," Mabel continued. "The puppy, who has slept with me in my bed every night since he came with you from the Green Realm, is a god."

Dipper nodded again.

"Can he understand what I say?" asked Mabel. "Can you talk to him somehow? Sirona said he had quite a 'voice' on him."

"Yeah," said Dipper, still not meeting his sister's eyes. "He can speak to gods and magical creatures telepathically. He just can't be heard by pure humans. He was pretty upset that he couldn't talk to you. He really cares about you."

Mabel was quiet for several moments, prompting Dipper to look up at her. She was staring absently at the spring.

"Where is he?" she finally asked, her voice devoid of emotion. "If he cares about me so much, why isn't he here?"

"Well, that's the thing," said Dipper. "Fenris kind of blames himself for not being able to protect you. He was really upset. After Sirona arrived and we moved you here for treatment, he ran off. We haven't heard from him since."

"Do you think something bad happened to him?" asked Mabel. The idea of her puppy, alone in the woods (even if he  _was_  a god), gave her a hollow feeling in her chest.

"No," said Dipper confidently. "He can take care of himself. Don't worry, Mabes, we'll find him."

"Okay," said Mabel softly. She hugged herself, and shivered slightly, even though she was now dry.

"Well, it's three-something in the morning," said Dipper. "I know you just woke up, but you should still try to get some rest. I asked Sirona if you could go home to the Shack, and she said you can if someone else stays with you. I'll stay tonight, and then Grenda and Wendy will probably take turns—how does that sound?"

Mabel shrugged. "Sounds okay. Just let me say 'bye to Sirona and Cecil."

Ten minutes later, jar of magical healing salve in hand, Mabel held onto Dipper's elbow as he blipped them over to Mabel's bedroom in the Mystery Shack. She fell into bed, and pretended to fall quickly asleep, but her mind was racing. She felt restless and uneasy without Fenris's small, furry presence. It would take some getting used to the idea that he was, in fact, a god, but nevertheless, she loved him, and was worried that nobody knew where he was.

The cold, gray pre-dawn light had only just started filtering through the triangle-shaped attic window when Mabel finally fell into a dreamless sleep.

/

His heart pounding, Fenris ran full-tilt toward the Gravnemeta. He heard shouting, and assumed it was under attack again. He tripped over an exposed root just before the break in the trees, and stumbled face-first into the loamy forest floor.

_Stupid legs._

As he righted himself, he heard a bout of raucous laughter coming from where the shouting had been happening only moments before. He peered around a tree trunk, and sighed. The Gravnemeta wasn't under attack after all—Grenda, Wendy, and Beithe were apparently having a particularly vigorous training session.

Fenris began to slink back into the trees, when he heard a familiar voice call out a greeting.

"Hey guys!" called a grinning Dipper. He carried a duffle bag over one shoulder.

"Dipper, is it true?!" cried Grenda. "Did Mabel really wake up last night?"

Fenris suddenly felt lightheaded. He crept among the trees lining the outside edge of the Gravnemeta, so that he could get closer to his friends, and hear the news about Mabel.

"Yeah, it's true," said Dipper. He slung the duffle bag to the ground and bent over it, pulling out a small crossbow. "She's not one-hundred percent better, but Sirona gave her some salve that is supposed to help her back finish healing. She said someone just has to stay with Mabel to help her out, and apply the salve every so often."

"Sweet!" cried Grenda. "I'm gonna spend the night there tonight. SLUMBER PARTY!" She enthusiastically waved her wooden maul above her head, and did a little shimmy.

"Woah, there, troll-kin," said Beithe, holding up her hands. "She just came out of a coma—she's probably not up for a slumber party just yet."

"But Dipper just said that Mabel needs someone to stay with her if she's gonna recuperate at home!" pouted Grenda, her lower lip protruding slightly.

"Dude, you can totally stay with Mabel," said Wendy, resting an arm on Grenda's shoulder. "If you can tone down your Grenda Enthusiasm just a bit. Think you can handle that?"

Fenris didn't linger to hear the rest of the conversation. Mabel was awake. He set out at a trot in the direction of the Mystery Shack, determined to see for himself that she was okay.

/

The mid-morning light felt pleasant on Mabel's face. Soos had helped her downstairs, and out onto the porch, where she reclined, eyes closed, on the old couch. She was covered in a flannel blanket, due to the chill breeze, but the sunbeam falling across her face was warm.

Mabel had almost drifted off to sleep, when the sunbeam vanished, and from behind her closed eyelids, she noticed a shadow take its place. She opened her eyes and blinked slowly, then shot up in surprise, yelping. There was a dull crack, and Mabel held a hand to her forehead as she saw stars for a moment.

A young man, maybe fourteen or fifteen years old, had been bending over Mabel, peering closely at her face. The dull crack had been their foreheads connecting as Mabel sat up in shock. The impact had caused the boy to stumble back into the porch railing, clutching at his brow.

"Holy cheese and crackers, you scared the crap out of me!" cried Mabel. She eased herself up until she was fully sitting, and gave the young man a proper look.

He was pale, but not unhealthily so—in fact, there were splotches of bright red on his cheeks, no doubt due to embarrassment at being caught creeping on Mabel. His shaggy hair was a deep blue-black, unkempt, but not necessarily messy. A few strands fell into his face, and as he swept them aside, Mabel noticed his eyes were a deep, clear blue. He was dressed in tattered, holey jeans, and a threadbare t-shirt. He had a feral look about him, but when Mabel met his eyes, his features softened.

"So, uh, who are you, and why did I open my eyes to find you less than five inches from my face?" asked Mabel, attempting to sound nonchalant.

The boy bit his lip, his brow furrowed. He looked like he was concentrating. He opened his mouth, but instead of talking, he coughed hoarsely.

"You okay?" asked Mabel. "Need water or something?"

The boy shook his head in the negative. He opened his mouth again, let out a loud belch, and then slapped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide.

Mabel laughed, which made the boy smile in spite of himself.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" teased Mabel. The boy crinkled his nose, and sneezed softly. Mabel felt the smile slip from her face. Why did that seem so familiar?

"Yes or no questions, it is, I guess," said Mabel softly. She patted the seat next to her. "Sit down. So—are you from around here?"

The boy slowly crouched over the sofa, until he was a couple inches from the seat, then he collapsed down onto the cushion awkwardly. He turned and faced Mabel, and shook his head no.

"Okay," said Mabel. "Not from around here… are you from another country?"

The boy scrunched up his features, trying to figure out how to answer her. He settled on a half-nod, half-shake, which made his head sway like Stevie Wonder.

"I'm guessing that's yes  _and_ no?" said Mabel, lifting a single eyebrow in confusion.

The boy simply nodded this time.

Mabel sighed. "So, if you're not, this is going to sound crazy—but based on your previous answer… are you a god?"

The boy met her gaze, his blue eyes intense. He nodded.

Mabel blew out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"What pantheon?" she asked.

The boy tilted his head to the side, and arched his brow.

"Oh, sorry, not yes or no," mumbled Mabel. "Okay, then: are you from the Celtic or Gaulish pantheons like my brother and Puck and Arden?"

The boy shook his head no.

Mabel looked down at her hands. Her heart began to beat faster.

"Are you a Norse god?" she asked quietly, meeting his eyes.

A nod.

Mabel swallowed hard. "Do you know Fenris? Or could you get a message to him? I don't know where he is—" She cut herself off, and waited for an answer.

The boy nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. Then he touched his chest.

Mabel searched his face, her eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The boy chuckled, and touched his chest again. Then, the held both hands on top of his head, like pointed dog ears, and made a quiet whuffling sound. He grinned, and touched his chest again.

Mabel stared at him, eyes wide. "Fen?" she whispered.

The boy smiled and nodded.

/

"MABEL! YOU'RE ALIVE!"

Mabel jerked awake at Grenda's excited shouting. She was still on the porch sofa, laying down, with the flannel blanket tucked firmly around her. She sat up and looked around for Fenris, and her stomach dropped.

Fenris wasn't there. But he  _had_  been there. Hadn't he? She didn't remember falling back asleep. But she remembered the boy with the shaggy black hair, and piercing blue eyes—the boy who couldn't talk. Mabel was sure she couldn't have dreamed something like that.

But where was he? If he was real, why had he left?

Mabel swallowed back the lump in her throat, and attempted to sound cheerful.

"Yup, I'm alive and kicking!"

"Awesome!" cried Grenda. "Wendy and Dipper are on their way over. We wanted to eat dinner together."

"Who's keeping watch over the Gravnemeta, then?" asked Mabel. "Dipper had said a bunch of you had been taking shifts?"

"Your Grunkles have the night shift tonight," said Grenda. "Have you SEEN how many fancy guns Ford has? Cause it's a lot. Like,  _a lot_ a lot!"

The side of Mabel's mouth twitched upward. "Grunkle Ford certainly likes his fancy guns."

"Hey, are y'all planning to come in and eat, or not?" called Dipper cheerfully, popping his head out the screen door.

"Huh," said Grenda thoughtfully, as she extended a hand to help Mabel to her feet. "I always forget that they can instantaneously blip pretty much anywhere. Seems like a useful skill to have."

Soos and Melody joined Mabel, Grenda, Dipper, and Wendy for dinner. They noshed on pizza and breadsticks, washing it down with Pitt Cola.

"Hey, Mabel, you're being real quiet," observed Soos, through a mouthful of pizza. "Still don't feel good?"

Mabel sat down the crust she was nibbling on. In truth, she'd been preoccupied with trying to figure out if she'd really met a human-shaped Fen, or just dreamed it.

"I guess I'm still pretty worn out," she said. "Hey Dip… when Sirona told you about my injuries, did she mention brain damage?"

Dipper arched an eyebrow at his sister, and washed down the bite of pizza he'd been chewing on with a sip of soda before replying.

"Do you… _feel_  brain damaged?"

Mabel rolled her eyes. "No. I just had a really weird dream earlier about…well, it wasn't a normal dream."

"Was it a  _sexy_ dream?" asked Grenda. "With sexy boys?"

"Ew, Grenda," said Wendy, flicking a pepperoni at the younger girl. "Get your hormones in check, girl!"

Grenda calmly wiped the pepperoni off her cheek and ate it. "I was just curious," she mumbled, with a shrug.

"Guh, nevermind," said Mabel. She slid her chair back from the table. "I'm really tired. Sorry to be a party pooper, but I think I'm going to turn in early tonight."

"But, slumber party?" pouted Grenda.

"I don't really feel like company tonight… and I doubt I'd be much fun," said Mabel. "Rain check, Grenda?"

"But Mabel, Sirona said you needed someone to stay with you, for the salve and stuff," protested Dipper.

Nobody but Melody seemed to notice that Mabel was on the brink of tears.

"Dipper, it's okay," Melody spoke up. "I'm here. I'll help Mabel with her salve, and if she needs anything, I'm just downstairs, and she can text or call me."

"Yeah, dudes, Melody's got this," added Soos. "She's real good at playing nurse."

The room went silent, except for Soos' chewing. He was completely oblivious that his 'playing nurse' comment had caused everyone else to awkwardly stare at their plates or the ceiling.

Melody rolled her eyes and stood up. "Let's get you up to bed, then, sweetie."

/

Fenris stood at the edge of the woods, long after all the lights in the Mystery Shack were turned off for the night. He stared intently at the triangular attic window, beyond which Mabel lay in bed. She'd seemed very happy to see him, which thrilled him to no end. He had been worried she would be upset that he'd pretended to be her pet.

She'd had a lot of questions for him, but unfortunately he wasn't able to answer them yet. He had never before attempted to take human form. In fact, prior to his transformation, he hadn't been sure it was even possible, seeing as he was the  _Great Wolf_. Most of the week that Mabel was in a coma, Fenris spent attempting to learn how to walk and run bipedally, and to use his hands and fingers—appendages he'd never had to deal with before. It only occurred to him, upon attempting to communicate with Mabel earlier that afternoon, that speaking with a human mouth and vocal cords was more complicated than barking or howling.

After Mabel finally understood that the boy in front of her was Fenris, she kept trying to engage him in conversation, but their conversation was limited to yes and no questions. Finally she'd given up, and they sat in amicable silence until her eyelids started to droop. Once he was sure she was asleep, Fenris had laid her back on the sofa and tucked the blanket around her, before making his way back into the woods. He wasn't ready to face anyone else yet. He felt vulnerable in his new form, and wanted to gain his bearings before unveiling Fenris 2.0 to his friends.

But he missed Mabel. He missed hearing her heartbeat as he drifted off to sleep. He missed her cheerful optimism in the face of adversity. In the short while since he'd appointed himself Mabel's guardian, she'd become an essential piece of him. He lived to make her happy. When he was with Mabel, he wasn't Fenrir, god of destruction, with an inescapable destiny, doomed to bring about the end of the world—he was just Fen.

Fenris sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair—a trick he'd picked up from seeing Dipper do it often. He squared his shoulders resolutely, and made his way to the back door of the Mystery Shack, where he located the hidden key, and let himself inside.

/

Mabel was tired, but she couldn't sleep. She kept replaying her encounter with Fenris in her head. It felt too real to be a dream—she'd never had a dream that lifelike. The curve of his lips when he smiled, the clear, deep intensity of his eyes—she didn't think she was capable of making up such seemingly unimportant, yet vivid, details.

What she found truly strange, however, was that human Fenris  _didn't_  feel strange. He had been a puppy, and now he was human—and Mabel found herself just accepting the fact.

Mabel sighed, and rolled onto her side, her arms instinctively reaching out to hold her puppy. She sniffled, and wiped at the single tear that rolled down her cheek.

A creak of the stairs, and a footfall on the landing in front of her attic bedroom startled Mabel. She leaned up on her elbow.

"Melody?" she called softly, as the door creaked open.

"No," came the gruff, but soft, reply.

"Fenris?" breathed Mabel. She sat fully up in bed, and grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table, turning it on so that the lit screen dimly illuminated the room.

Fenris walked hesitantly forward, his eyes shining. Mabel reached out, and took one of his hands in hers.

"Where'd you go earlier? I'd almost convinced myself that you were a dream!"

Fenris opened his mouth, and blew out a breath, then shook his head.

"Oh, sorry," said Mabel sheepishly. "I forgot—yes or no only." She patted the edge of the bed, and he sat down.

"So, you are real, right?" Mabel asked, poking him in the arm.

Fenris chuckled, and nodded. He placed a palm against her cheek, and leaned in until he could touch his forehead to hers.

"I…miss," he said.

Mabel felt momentarily lightheaded. She pulled back and met his eyes.

"I've missed you too, Fen," she said softly. "So… you're learning to speak like a human?"

Fenris nodded and smiled, holding a hand up to his mouth. "Feels weird."

"I'll bet," said Mabel with a nod. "It's quite a bit different than what you had been working with."

Before Fenris could respond, Mabel let loose a long, jaw-cracking yawn.

"Tired," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, I really am. I'm just not used to falling asleep without my pup—without you." Mabel was glad the room was dark, because she was blushing furiously.

Fenris looked down at his feet. "Sorry."

"Sorry? For what?" asked Mabel.

"No more small fuzzy," he replied softly.

Mabel leaned in and hugged Fenris tightly. "That's silly, Fen. You're here now. I don't care that you're not a puppy anymore."

Fenris practically melted in Mabel's arms. He'd never experienced a hug as a human before. It was quite different than being held as a puppy. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed gently.

"Hug sleep?" came his whispered suggestion.

Mabel wiped her suddenly runny eyes, and nodded. They lay down, facing each other, and she curled up against Fenris, her head nestled against his chest, under his chin. He slung and arm over her, his hand resting on the back of her neck.

As Mabel drifted off to sleep, she felt the rumble of his chest, as he spoke softly into her hair.

"Night, Mabel. I love."

 


	4. Chapter 4

Wendy Corduroy stretched and yawned, before pulling her boots on over her leggings. Morning shift at the Gravnemeta started in two hours, but she and Dipper had decided the night before that they wanted to surprise Mabel with breakfast before their shift.

Last night at the Mystery Shack, when Melody had come back downstairs after applying Mabel's burn salve, she'd smacked Dipper lightly on the back of the head.

"Your sister is upset about something, ya doofus," she'd said. "Couldn't you tell? Couldn't any of you tell?"

Dipper asked if he should go talk to her, but Melody said Mabel really was tired, so it should wait until tomorrow.

Hence, surprising Mabel with breakfast.

Wendy pulled her favorite green flannel on over her tank top, and jammed her blue and white pine tree ballcap onto her head, before making her way to the living room.

Dipper was still asleep, splayed out on the sofa with his mouth hanging open.

Wendy grinned, and sat down hard, directly on his chest.

"OOOOOF" groaned Dipper, as all the air rushed from his lungs.

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!" said Wendy cheerfully. She leaned over and kissed Dipper lightly on the lips, before gracefully rising from her seat on his chest.

Dipper gasped in a lungful of air, before responding, with a cocky grin. "Next time how about you sit on my face, instead, hot stuff?"

"You probably shouldn't say things like that in our house," Beithe called from the kitchen. "Humans aren't able to kill gods, but if Danny hears you say something like that, I don't doubt he'll find a way."

Wendy chuckled at the mortified look on Dipper's face. She reached down and pulled him to his hooves, and then leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"Next time, I just might," she purred, nipping lightly at his earlobe.

Before Dipper had a chance to respond, Wendy grabbed his hand and led him toward the kitchen. He quickly readjusted his loin cloth, and tried to think of anything but Wendy, sitting on his face, her back arched, head thrown back in pleasure...

"Uh," he mumbled, pulling his hand from Wendy's grasp. "I, um. You get the breakfast stuff, and I'll wait in the living room."

Wendy's opened her mouth to ask why, then saw Dipper's quick glance downward, and giggled.

"Dork," she said softly, before bopping him on the nose with a finger, and turning on her heel into the kitchen.

/

"Wow, this was really nice of you dudes," said Soos, looking at the breakfast spread that Dipper and Wendy had laid out on the kitchen table in the Mystery Shack. "I'm sure Mabel will love it."

Melody nodded. "You really didn't have to bring your own eggs and bacon and stuff," she said. "You could have used what we have here."

"Nah," said Dipper. "We made this for you, too. As a thank you for letting Mabel stay here with you, and looking after her. It would be weird to come over and cook you your own food."

Soos cocked his head to the side. "You do have a point."

"So," said Wendy, clapping her hands. "How're we gonna do this, dude? You think we should have her come down, or take her up a tray?"

"Eh, she's still on the mend," said Dipper, shrugging. "She'd probably like having breakfast in bed."

"Okay, you fix her a plate, while I go ahead and wake her up, so I can help her with her salve," said Wendy.

She turned and started for the stairs before Dipper had time to respond.

Wendy tip-toed up the steps, hoping to wake Mabel in the same way she had awoken Dipper—albeit with no chest-sitting.

She placed a hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, and threw the door open.

"WAKEY WAKEY, EGGS AND—what the fuck?"

/

Mabel sat bolt-upright in bed, and then grunted, as the scar tissue on her back tightened painfully with the quick movement.

Ready to fight, her dark-haired, male companion jumped to his feet on the mattress, forgetting that he was laying under the low part of the slanted attic ceiling. The top of his head hit the wooden beams with a dull crack.

"Ooh, ow," hissed Wendy, through gritted teeth. "Sorry, Mabes, I didn't know you had…company…?"

The company sank down onto his knees, and gingerly touched the top of his head.

"Wendy, I can explain," began Mabel, reaching out to grasp the boy's hand.

"Explain what?" asked Dipper cheerfully, as he bustled into the room past Wendy. Then he looked up.

"Woop!" cried Wendy, as she jumped to grab the tray of food from Dipper as he dropped it.

He stared at Mabel, and the dark-haired stranger who was in her bed.

"Mabel," he said, his voice too calm, "there is a boy in your bed. With you. In your bed. A boy."

"Dipper, he's not some random stranger, if that's what you're thinking," said Mabel. "And we were only sleeping." She looked pointedly at Wendy, who nodded in agreement.

"Who is he?" asked Dipper, unconsciously clenching the hilt of a wickedly sharp dagger that had suddenly appeared in his fist. Then he turned and looked the boy in the eye. He looked familiar, but he couldn't place it. "Who are you? And why are you in my sister's bed?"

Mabel looked at the boy questioningly. "Do you think you're able to explain? If not, I can…"

The boy shook his head. "I think I can," he said softly. "More I talk, easier it comes out."

Wendy and Dipper looked at each other, the same curious expression on both their faces.

The boy scooted past Mabel, and stood up off the bed. He walked toward Dipper, and stopped in front of him. They were the same height.

"We traveled together," said the boy. He nervously stepped from foot-to-foot, eyeing Dipper's dagger. "I look different now."

Dipper stared at the boy in confusion. "When did we travel together?"

"Recently," said the boy. "In the Green. You made me and troll-kin girl wear bubble-wrap armor. Then turned a big troll into a pretty princess."

Wendy snorted. "You never told me that," she said under her breath.

"Fen-Fenris?" asked Dipper, dumbfounded. Fenris nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching upward in a small smile.

Dipper looked to Mabel, who nodded in confirmation. "I told you he wasn't some rando, Dip-Dop."

"How—you never told me you could take human form!"

"I didn't know," said Fenris, shrugging. "But Mabel got hurt in battle because of me. I wanted a better form to protect her. But as Fenrir, I still couldn't talk to her. So I went off on my own to try human shape."

"What—Fen, I didn't get hurt because of you!" cried Mabel, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, and slowly standing up. "Why would you ever think that?"

Fenris turned to her, a pained look on his face.

"I distracted you by yelping," he said, looking at the floor. "I was trying to warn you, but you couldn't understand me. Then you almost got killed."

"Okay, that is freaking adorable," said Wendy. "I mean, not you almost getting killed, Mabes. But him becoming human because he wants to protect you and communicate with you. Ugh. Be still, my heart."

Mabel's face turned an unhealthy shade of crimson. "It's not like that, Wendy. It's—he's Fenris. He was my puppy. Don't be creepy."

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Did I not just walk in on you two cuddling in bed together?"

"We are used to sleeping together," said Fenris, still looking at the floor. "To cuddle helped us both."

Dipper's left eye twitched slightly. "Look, your breakfast is getting cold, Mabel," he said. "How about you stay up here and eat, and Wendy helps you with your salve. Fenris and I need to go downstairs and have a talk."

"Dipper…" said Mabel, unsure of her brother's motives.

"Be nice to the smol pupper," said Wendy, winking at Fenris. "He's still got his human training wheels on."

Fenris glanced back at Mabel, who nodded slightly. Dipper grabbed his arm and led him from the room.

"Eat first, then we'll do your salve," said Wendy, as soon as the boys were gone. "Cold eggs are the worst." She handed Mabel the tray, and the younger girl sat back down on her bed, and began to eat. She wouldn't look Wendy in the eye.

Wendy flopped back onto Dipper's old bed, and sat cross-legged, elbows on her knees, and chin in her hands, watching Mabel eat.

"So, you have a thing for dogs, huh?" said Wendy finally, grinning.

Mabel nearly choked.

"What—no! Wendy!" cried Mabel, as soon as she had managed to swallow her bite of toast. "Don't say things like that!"

Wendy smirked. "You just looked awfully comfortable with him, is all."

"I was," admitted Mabel. "I mean, he's Fenris. He was one of the few things that had made me happy since you and Dipper handfasted. And even though he's in human form, he still feels the same. Not physically, though. Gosh, this is hard to describe…"

Wendy's smirk disappeared and her features softened, as she remembered the time between the twins' summer visit and Christmas break, when she had missed Dipper terribly.

"Does it feel like he's supposed to be with you?" she asked. "Like now that you've had him in your life, you don't feel whole without him near?"

Mabel sat her tray of half-eaten breakfast aside, and fidgeted with the edge of her blanket. "I don't know. I—look, can we just rub this goo on my back and go downstairs?"

Wendy smiled to herself as she grabbed the jar of salve from Mabel's nightstand.

"Sure thing, Mabes."

/

Dipper led Fenris down the stairs, and quickly past the kitchen. He didn't want to have to explain the Fenris situation to Melody and Soos just yet, especially since he still wasn't sure what the situation was. They quietly exited the Mystery Shack, and sat down on the old sofa on the porch.

"So…" said Dipper, after a minute of awkward silence. "Um. What are your intentions toward my sister?"

Fenris, who had been staring out at the tree line, turned to look at Dipper, his head cocked to the side.

"My intentions?"

Dipper sighed. "Like…you're sure you only took human form to protect Mabel, right? You're not planning on seducing her or something?"

Fenris blinked at him. "What."

"Sex."

"Sex?" Fenris still looked like a confused puppy.

"With Mabel."

"What about sex with Mabel?"

"Gods you're dense!" cried Dipper, throwing his hands in the air. "Are you planning on having it?"

"Why would I do that?"

Dipper facepalmed. He wasn't sure if Fenris was being intentionally obtuse, or if the Norse god was trying to mess with him.

"Look, just—besides Wendy, Mabel is the most important person in the world to me," said Dipper. "She's also only thirteen. If you try anything with her, I will personally hand you a one-way ticket to visit Hel."

Fenris looked crestfallen. "So you don't want me to protect Mabel anymore, or try to keep her happy?"

"No, you can totally still do that," sighed Dipper. "When I said anything, I meant sexy times. Jeez, Fenris, were you always this dumb?"

Fenris looked down at his hands. "You're my best friend, Dipper. And Mabel is very important to me. I would never do anything to harm her."

Dipper ran a hand through his hair. "Well, now I feel like an ass. Look Fenris, I'm sorry. The whole human thing threw me—but you're still you, right? I trust you. Just don't give me reason for that to change."

Fenris nodded. "I won't."

/

Dipper and Wendy blipped off to their shift guarding the Gravnemeta, leaving Fenris and Mabel sitting alone on the porch.

"Ugh, I hate just sitting here, letting other people do my job," complained Mabel, throwing her head back. "I mean, I slept for a whole week—I should be ready to go!"

"A coma is a bit different than sleep, I think," said Fenris quietly. She looked up to see him smiling at her.

"I guess I can use this time to get to know you better, now that you can actually talk to me," said Mabel.

"What do you want to know?" asked Fenris.

Mabel stared at him for a moment, then reached out to stroke his hair. He had a serious case of bedhead. Fenris closed his eyes blissfully, and leaned into her hand.

"Well, now I know that even in human form, you still like scritches," she said with a grin.

Fenris pulled away, his pale cheeks tinged with pink.

"Yes, that seems to be the case," he said. "I am the same as I always was, just in a new, human-shaped body."

Mabel stood up from the sofa, and turned to face Fenris, leaning up against the porch railing. She folded her arms over her chest.

"So, why me?" she asked.

Fenris' brow furrowed. "Why you? What do you mean?"

"You're a god, Fen," said Mabel. "I'm nobody. Why did you decide to stick around with me? Was it just because Dipper was spending so much time with Wendy?"

"You are not nobody," said Fenris sincerely, standing up to look Mabel in the eye. "Dipper spoke highly of you when we traveled together. And when I met you, I knew he hadn't been exaggerating. You are the most beautiful person I've ever met. You have a kind heart, and you care deeply about your friends and family. After the handfasting, I saw how lonely and sad you were. It hurt to see. I decided it was my mission to make you happy. And to keep you safe." Fenris looked at his feet. "That part I failed at, and I am sorry."

Mabel sniffled, and Fenris looked up, his eyes wide.

"You're crying! Did I say something wrong? Or-or does your injury hurt?"

Mabel wiped her eyes and smiled. "I'm happy crying, Fen. It's a thing humans do sometimes."

"You never cried when I made you happy before," said Fenris. He reached out tentatively, then pulled his hand back.

Mabel laughed wetly. She closed the gap between them, and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. She spoke so softly that Fenris almost didn't hear her.

"Good boy."

/

Guard duty at the Gravnemeta was uneventful that day. Dipper and Wendy trained with Beithe for most of it. Wendy focused on learning to use her dryad magic, while Dipper attempted to master glamours. He told Beithe it was so he could confuse the enemy, but she knew he was really trying to learn how to look human again.

When the sun started to set, Stan, Ford, and Soos emerged from the forest, to take the night shift.

"So, Dipper, thanks for the warning," said Ford casually, as he sat his weapons pack down with a clunk.

"What warning?" asked Dipper, feigning confusion.

"The warning you didn't give us that Fenris is people now," grumbled Stan, as he fitted a bolt into the large crossbow he carried.

"Not cool, dude," added Soos. "I heard Mabel talking out on the porch, and I thought she might have, you know—she did ask about brain damage last night."

"Oh yeah, my bad," chuckled Dipper. "Did she tell you they slept together last night?"

"What?!" cried Ford.

At the same time, Stan accidentally shot his crossbow bolt into the ground next to his feet.

"Dipper, you're going to give your Grunkles a stroke," said Beithe, with a hint of laughter in her voice. She had already heard the whole story. "When he says sleeping, he literally means sleeping."

Stan pulled his crossbow bolt out of the ground, muttering under his breath about "goats who think they're funny."

Soos looked conflicted. "Should—should I tell him to sleep outside or something?"

Wendy shook her head. "Really, Soos, he slept with her all the time as a puppy. It's the same thing… now he's just bigger…and less furry…and kinda cute…"

Stan frowned. "This makes me highly uncomfortable."

Ford nodded. "When we get back to the shack tomorrow, we'll talk to him, Stan. Make sure he knows human boundaries."

Soos chuckled. "Dudes, you guys are going to give the 'birds and the bees' talk to the Norse god of destruction. That is epic."

Dipper almost told them that he'd already discussed boundaries with Fenris, but he stopped himself. He'd let them have that awkward conversation. He was a god of mischief, after all.

/

Mabel sat on the edge of her bed, twirling a strand of her hair around a finger. It had been a strange day. Fenris was currently in the shower, for the first time ever. When Melody had tactfully suggested that Fenris could use a bath, he'd visibly flinched. Mabel had shown him how to use the taps, and explained soap and shampoo to him, before leaving him to wash himself.

While he showered, Mabel had changed into the shorts and thin camisole she normally slept in. She looked down at her bare legs, and made a mental note that she should probably shave in the morning. She'd never before been self-conscious about how she looked when she slept, but now that Fenris was boy shaped, it seemed to matter.

The doorknob rattled, and from the other side of the door, Fenris called out softly. "Is it okay for me to come in?"

"Yeah," replied Mabel.

The door swung open, and there stood Fenris, still completely clothed, his drenched jeans and t-shirt leaving a trail of water in his wake as he walked into the room.

"Oh God, Fen," said Mabel, trying not to giggle. "I didn't even think to tell you that humans take off our clothes when we shower."

Fenris looked down at the puddle rapidly forming at his feet and blushed. "Oh."

Mabel grinned. "I think there's some old clothes of Dipper's in his dresser still. They may be a little small on you, but they should be okay to sleep in. You go ahead and change while I grab you a towel."

Fenris nodded mutely, and went to look in Dipper's dresser.

When Mabel returned with the towel, Fenris was pulling on one of Dipper's old t-shirts. He already wore a pair of gray sweatpants that were a bit snug, and stopped halfway down his shins. The shirt was about three sizes too small, exposing most of Fenris' lower torso.

"Dipper was tiny," he remarked, as he pulled at the collar of the t-shirt, which appeared to be choking him.

Mabel chuckled. "Yeah, okay, you don't have to wear the shirt."

Fenris sighed with relief, and pulled the shirt back over his head. "Clothing is too complicated." He tossed the shirt aside, and shook his head, sending drops of water flying in an arc around him.

"Here, for your hair," said Mabel, tossing him the towel, before sitting down cross-legged on her bed. "And about the clothes—the ones you've been wearing are really worn out and dirty. I'm guessing you didn't transform with them on. Where'd you get them?"

Fenris rubbed his hair vigorously with the towel before replying. "There's a pack of werewolves that live about fifteen miles outside the Gravnemeta. I approached them when I was still in my giant wolf form, and since they're not pure human, I was able to explain who I was and what I needed. They were really helpful." He sat down next to Mabel on the bed, the towel hanging loosely in his hand. "I think they were actually kind of afraid of me."

Mabel leaned into him, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "Aww, well they didn't really know you."

Fenris pulled away, and turned to face her. He bit his lip, and took a deep breath. "Mabel, do you know who Fenrir is—who I am? What I represent?"

Mabel rested a hand on his knee. "I do. You're the Norse god of destruction, prophesied to bring about the end of the world," she said. "But you're not that to me. To me, you're Fen. I've watched you chase your tail, and bark at squirrels. You're my brother's best friend. You're my…" she trailed off. He wasn't really her puppy anymore. "You're also my best friend," she said, the realization hitting her as the words left her mouth.

Fenris' lower lip quivered. "I—Mabel… you and your brother have been so kind to me. I'd never had a friend before I met Dipper. And now I have two."

Mabel grinned, and poked Fenris in the ribs. "Yup. And like it or not, you're stuck with us."

Fenris smiled bashfully. "I think I'm okay with that."

"You better be," said Mabel through a yawn. She reached her arms up to stretch, then hissed in pain. Her back was feeling much better, but certain movements still aggravated the scar tissue.

"Oh, your salve," said Fenris. "I'll go get Melody." He began to stand up, but Mabel put out a hand to stop him.

"There's no point in bothering her when you're already up here with me," she said. She reached over to her nightstand and grabbed the jar, placing it firmly in his hand.

"Oh…okay," said Fenris slowly, as Mabel turned away from him, and pulled the back of her camisole up, exposing her bare flesh. The scar tissue was still more pink than the rest of her skin, but it was no longer shiny.

Fenris opened the jar and scooped out some salve, rubbing it between his palms to warm it up. He hesitantly reached forward and gently ran his hands over her scars, using a light pressure to work the medicine into her skin.

Mabel took a deep breath, and blew it out slowly. Her whole body tingled.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have magic hands?" she murmured, her eyes closed. "If the whole end of the world thing doesn't work out for you, you should think about becoming a masseuse."

Fenris chuckled. "Well, I have no idea what a masseuse is, and I have never had hands before, so…no."

"Fair point," mumbled Mabel.

"All done," said Fenris, pulling the back of Mabel's camisole down. He stood up to place the jar of salve back on her nightstand, then wiped his hands on the towel he'd used to dry his hair.

Mabel yawned. "That was nice, Fen. Very relaxing. Sleepy time now." She lay back against her pillows, and patted the mattress next to her.

Fenris climbed into bed, pulling the covers up over the both of them. He reached out, and pulled Mabel to him, a little more forcefully than he meant to.

Mabel didn't mind, however. She snuggled against him, enjoying the warmth of his arms around her.

"You know," breathed Mabel softly, "seeing as I just met you in your human form yesterday, it seems like this whole cuddling in bed thing should feel awkward or something. But it doesn't."

"Cuddling with you could never be awkward," replied Fenris sleepily. "You're my Mabel."

/

For the second time in two days, Dipper was rudely awakened. This time, at three in the morning, with an airhorn.

He shot up off the couch, holding at the ready the katana that had materialized in his hands.

"Woah, easy there, kid. You could put someone's eye out!"

The rest of the Corduroy family, also rudely awakened by the blast of the airhorn, scrambled into the room, all carrying axes, hatchets, or in Wendy's case, a crossbow. Someone flicked the light switch.

Suddenly, everyone's lethal weapons were transformed into inflatable toy versions of what they had previously been wielding.

"Jeez, you guys don't hold back, do you?" said the older satyr standing in the middle of the living room.

"Puck, what the hell?" groaned Dipper.

Manly Dan threw his inflatable double-headed axe at the elder god of mischief. It bounced off him with a squeak.

"Was it really necessary to wake us all up in the middle of the night?" asked Beithe, frowning.

"Of course it was!" cried Puck. "The reveal wouldn't be nearly as dramatic if you were all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed."

"What reveal?" asked Wendy, yawning. She flopped down on the sofa, with her arm over her eyes.

Puck was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, his hands clasped in excitement.

"I've brought you a visitor—someone who has graciously volunteered to help me track down Arden."

"Is the visitor invisible?" asked Dipper wryly.

"Oh, no, he's just outside the front door," said Puck. His grin was getting more maniacal by the second.

"Just open the damn door and show us who it is so I can go back to bed," grunted a grumpy Manly Dan.

"As you wish," said Puck. He trotted to the door, and with a dramatic flourish of his hand, pulled it open. A dark figure stepped forward.

The room was completely silent, as everyone stared in shock at the visitor.

"Hello," said the Green Man.


	5. Chapter 5

With a deafening roar, Manly Dan flew across the room and tackled the Green Man, his momentum carrying them out the still-open front door. They landed on the sidewalk, Dan on top, the Green Man pinned under him. Dan pummeled the god relentlessly, beating his face to an almost unrecognizable, bloody pulp.

Beithe was screaming at Dan to stop, but in his rage, he didn't hear her.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU KIDNAPPED BEITHE! LEFT ME TO RAISE FOUR SMALL CHILDREN BY MYSELF, WITHOUT THE LOVE OF MY LIFE THERE TO HELP ME! THEN YOU CAME BACK AND STOLE AWAY MY DAUGHTER, AND TRIED TO MARRY HER OFF! I'LL FUCKING GUT YOU!"

"Danny, stop!" Beithe cried. "He's not even fighting back!"

Dan let out a feral scream, as a white straightjacket materialized around him, rendering him motionless. A gag appeared in his mouth, as well. He kept screaming, but it came out muffled and unintelligible.

"Thank you, Puck," said Beithe. She rushed over to her father, who lay unconscious on the sidewalk.

"Hey, that wasn't me," said Puck, holding up his hands. "I was enjoying the show."

"I did it," said Dipper nervously glancing down at his father-in-law, who was staring daggers at him. "I have no love for the guy, but he wasn't fighting back, and… is it just me, or…he's not green anymore, is he? I remember him being green… and his hair—leaves—whatever… they're brown and crispy." He glanced up at Puck. "Care to explain?"

Puck took a deep breath, ready to spin them a yarn, but Beithe cut him off.

"Wendy, Marcus, can you help me carry …your, uh, grandfather…inside?"

Wendy stood in the doorway, tight-lipped, with her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm not touching him," she spat. "I'm surprised you're concerned about him, seeing as he kept you imprisoned in tree form for six years."

Beithe sighed, and motioned for Marcus to lift the Green Man's legs as she picked him up under his armpits.

"That was awful of him," said Beithe, as she and Marcus slowly walked the Green Man over the threshold, past Wendy, and laid him on the sofa. "I don't deny that. But he wasn't always that way… and Dipper's got a point—there's something not right with him." She glanced at Puck. "Now you can explain."

Puck looked out the door at Manly Dan, still sitting on the sidewalk in his straightjacket. "If I take that off you, do you promise to hear me out before attacking my brother again?"

Dan nodded.

Puck snapped his fingers, and the straightjacket and gag disappeared. Dan lurched to his feet, and marched inside, slamming the door behind him. His breathing was heavy, and his fists were so tight that his knuckles were white, but he kept his mouth shut, and stayed back from the sofa, where the Green Man lay, unconscious and helpless.

Puck grinned, and clapped his hands together. "Ah, good, good. Now that we're all here, and not attempting to kill each other, I can explain why I brought my brother here. As you know, I stepped in to save—what was it you called him, Dipper? Harold?" Dipper nodded, and Puck continued.

"I stepped in to save Harold just before our Dipper here, and Cernunnos, were all set to waste him. Honestly, he's a prick, and I would have been okay with you killing him—but I didn't want to get on Mom and Dad's bad side by standing by and doing nothing. He  _is_ my brother, after all, and they have this thing about familial love being all-important. Bleck.

"Anyway, I banished him to our parents' realm, tattled on him, and waited to see what kind of punishment they'd dole out. As I said, familial love is a big deal to them, and he'd kept his own daughter trapped in her tree form for years. That's not something a loving father does."

"Too fucking right," muttered Manly Dan under his breath.

Puck grinned and continued. "So Harold's punishment is that they stripped him of all his powers, including immortality, and the only way he can get his powers back is to learn the true meaning of familial love. He offered to help me track down Arden, thinking that helping his brother would be enough of a show of familial love that our parents would grant him his powers back—but no. It was their idea to bring him here, to learn to love and be worthy of love in return."

"He's not immortal anymore," said Beithe slowly. "So you were just going to stand back and watch Dan beat him to death?"

"Oh, no, I would have stepped in before it got that far," said Puck with a shrug. "However, I would have been okay with him sustaining a bit of brain damage."

"I'm okay with giving him some brain damage," rumbled Manly Dan, as he took a step toward the couch.

"Daniel, don't you dare," said Beithe. "He's apparently our guest now, and beating someone until they're brain damaged isn't at all hospitable."

"I'm not having him under our roof, Beithe. Not after everything he's done."

"I'm with Dad," said Wendy. "He kidnapped me and tried to marry me off. I'd rather not have him sleeping on our sofa. Plus, where would Dipper sleep?"

"I mean, I don't mind sleeping in your room, Wendy," said Dipper, with a nervous glance toward Manly Dan. "On-on the floor. In a sleeping bag."

Dan frowned, and opened his mouth to reply, but his eldest son cut him off.

"Do we get a vote?" asked Marcus. He stood in front of his younger brothers, with his arms crossed, and a scowl on his face. "Nobody ever cares what we think. I mean, we're not gods or whatever, but we live here too."

"What would your vote be, then?" asked Beithe warily.

"He took you from us, mom," said Marcus, his voice breaking. "He kept you from us for  _six years_. Kevin barely remembers you, and Gus never got to know you at all. Then he took Wendy. It destroyed Dad. The Green Man ripped our family apart. We don't want him here."

Beithe's features softened, and she swept all three of her sons up in a hug. "I'm sorry it seems like we never take your opinions into account. You're right, what my father did was terrible. I missed you all so much, and we have so much lost time to make up. If you don't want him to stay with us, he won't." She turned to face Puck. "I'm sorry, Puck, but you'll have to find someplace else for him to stay."

But Puck had vanished.

Dipper facepalmed. "I hate it when he does that."

/

Fenris woke up to the feeling of absence. His arms were empty. Mabel was gone. He sat up in a panic, his eyes sweeping the room. Not seeing her, he leapt out of bed, and ran for the door. Just as he reached out for the handle, the door flew open, knocking him backward, onto his rear end.

"Oh my gosh, Fenris, I'm so sorry!" cried Mabel, as she knelt down to give him a hand up. "I thought you'd still be asleep!"

Fenris grasped her hand and climbed to his feet. He took in her pink, freshly scrubbed cheeks, and the towel wrapped around her hair. She carried her pajamas in a bundle under her arm, and was dressed in black leggings and a purple sweater.

Fenris let go of her hand and let out a deep breath. "You were in the shower," he mumbled. It was more a statement than a question.

Mabel nodded. "Where did you think I was?"

"I don't know," answered Fenris. "I just woke up and you were gone. I was scared."

"Aw, I'm sorry I scared you, Fen," said Mabel. She tossed her pajamas unceremoniously onto her bed, and reached out to pull him in for a hug. He was still shirtless, and his skin was emanating heat. Even though he appeared outwardly calm now, she could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"I don't want to lose you," he whispered softly.

Mabel pulled away and smiled up at him. "Don't worry, Fen. I'm not going anywhere." She glanced down at the too-small sweatpants he was wearing. "Now, how about we go see if Soos has some clothes you can wear? They'll definitely be too big, but that's what belts are for."

Fenris nodded. "I miss having fur," he said, finally calm enough to grin. "It was so much simpler."

/

No one in the Corduroy household slept the remainder of the night, except, of course, Harold, seeing as he was unconscious. The rest of the family and Dipper sat around the kitchen drinking cups of coffee or hot cocoa, discussing what to do about their unwanted houseguest.

"We should just kick him out to fend for himself in the woods," Marcus suggested. "I mean, he's a god of nature, right? Wouldn't camping be kind of his 'thing'?"

Manly Dan nodded in agreement. "That is a valid point, son,"

Beithe sighed and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "We've been over this, guys. He's mortal now. He has no powers to protect himself with. He doesn't know anything about camping or surviving in the wild, because as a god, he didn't have to."

"Lame," muttered Wendy. "Can't we just send him over to Tad Strange's house, and let him be Puck's problem again?"

"That probably wouldn't work," said Dipper. "Puck clearly wants  _us_ to have to deal with Harold, and he's told me before that when he doesn't want to be bothered, he can cause people to forget the location of his house."

"Convenient," grunted Dan.

"Do you think Soos and Melody would let him stay at the Mystery Shack?" asked Marcus.

Beithe shook her head. "I don't want to impose on them. They already have two houseguests right now, plus Ford and Stan are spending a lot of time there when they're not on guard duty."

Dipper took a sip of his coffee, which had long since gone completely cold, and sat down the mug with a decisive thump. "How about I camp with him, in the clearing where I'm trying to build mine and Wendy's cabin? I've been human, so I know what I'm doing. Mostly. And while he's out there, he can maybe help me with some of the construction, to earn his keep, like."

Manly Dan grinned for the first time since the family's rude awakening hours earlier. "Now  _that_  plan isn't half bad. It gets rid of the Green Man, and I don't have to constantly worry about these two making me a grandfather." He nodded toward Dipper and Wendy, who were leaning against the counter, holding hands, with their fingers intertwined.

"I am not so much a fan of this idea," muttered Wendy.

"I mean, it's not ideal. The guy's a creep. But if he's stuck here as a mortal, this will at least keep him out of your house. Plus, I'll get to practice my mischief on someone I actually don't like, for a change." Dipper said, grinning and waggling his eyebrows. "Come on, Wen, it's not like you'll never see me." He elbowed her gently. "I'll just be sleeping a  _bit_  further away than your living room sofa."

"It does seem like the best option anyone's proposed so far," said Beithe.

"Alright then," said Dipper, with a nod. "Beithe and Wendy, do you two think you'll be okay without me at the Gravnemeta for a while this morning? I want to blip 'Grandpa' Harold over to the clearing and get a campsite set up."

"Yeah, just come by whenever you've got him all settled," said Beithe.

"Can do," said Dipper. He gave Wendy a swift kiss on the lips. "I'll see you soon."

He trotted into the living room, grabbed the unconscious Green Man by the wrist, and with a soft pop, they both disappeared.

/

Mabel stood in a patch of sunlight, her eyes closed, and her head tilted up to soak the warmth into her flushed cheeks. Fenris sat on a nearby boulder, in extremely baggy jeans and an oversized hoodie, his eyes fixed on her relaxed smile. The corners of his mouth twitched upward. He loved seeing her happy.

"It's such a nice day," Mabel sighed. "It almost feels like spring. I could just take a nap right here, in the middle of the woods."

"Are you tired?" asked Fenris. "I could blip us the rest of the way over to Tad Strange's house…"

Mabel lowered her head, and put her hands on her hips, meeting Fenris's eyes. "Fen, you know better than anyone that I'm not some delicate little flower. I'm okay to walk, really."

"But your injury—"

"Is almost completely healed," Mabel interrupted. "That's why we're going to see Sirona. I want her to give me the okay to go back to guarding the Gravnemeta, so that when I show up in my armor, Dipper doesn't freak out and tell me I'm not healed enough yet."

Fenris nodded and stood up. "Your brother  _has_ been much more protective of you since you were injured."

They began walking again, Mabel setting the pace, with Fenris slightly behind her.

"Yeah, no kidding," said Mabel. She giggled. "I'm sure seeing you in my bed also has something to do with his recent brotherly protectiveness."

"He asked me if I was planning on having sex with you," said Fenris, as casually as if he was mentioning the weather.

Mabel stopped abruptly, and Fenris walked into her, nearly sending her crashing to the ground. He grabbed her waist, to keep her from tumbling forward. She stumbled, but didn't fall.

Still facing away from Fenris, she said "He asked you  _what_?"

Fenris let go of her waist. "I told him I may try to hump your leg, but that's about it."

Mabel spun around. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hanging slightly open. Fenris kept a straight face for a second or two before bursting into laughter.

Mabel cracked a smile. "You made a joke! I didn't know you made jokes!"

Fenris grinned. "You should hear my witty banter."

"You banter, too?! Go ahead, wow me with your wit," said Mabel. She linked her arm through his, and began walking again.

"Well now that you've put me on the spot, all I can think is 'uh, durr,'" he said, lazily scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

"Okay, I guess the banter will have to come naturally," sighed Mabel. "But seriously, I'm loving this whole 'sense of humor' thing. Not that I didn't like your human personality up 'til now, cause you're awesome. But you've been so worried and serious. I think that was actually the first time I've heard you laugh."

"Well, becoming human was weird," said Fenris with a shrug. "Everything was off kilter until I saw you again, and knew you were safe. I  _was_  really worried about you. I still am, honestly. But the more I'm around you, the more I feel like myself again. Being able to talk to you really helps."

"Oh man, I am  _so_ good at talking," said Mabel. "You'll probably get sick of how much I'm gonna talk to you. I love that you can answer me now. You used to just lick me."

"Aw, am I not allowed to do that anymore?" Fenris pouted sarcastically. "Lame."

"Well, you'll at least need to buy me dinner first, mister," said Mabel, wagging a finger at him.

Fenris blushed. "I—wh—" he stammered.

Mabel laughed. "That was  _me_  joking, Fen."

"Ah," said Fenris. He arched a single eyebrow. "Does it have to be?"

Mabel grinned and bit her lower lip, as she shook her head wordlessly. Human Fenris was full of surprises.

/

"Harold." Smack. "Hey asshole, wake up."

Dipper was bent over the prone form of the mortal Green Man, prodding him in the ribs, and slapping him, trying to rouse the injured former god.

"For the love of—" muttered Dipper. Remembering Puck's three a.m. wakeup call, he conjured an airhorn. He held it out and prepared to press the button, when a familiar voice interrupted him.

"Dipper, what exactly are you doing to that elderly man?"

Dipper spun around. "Grunkle Stan? What are you doing out here?"

Stanley walked into the clearing and stood in front of Dipper.

"Beithe and Wendy told me you'd be here. They said Wendy's grandpa was here—the jerk that kidnapped her. I wanted to look upon the face of evil… and then punch it. Is that him?" Stan asked, craning his neck to see around his great nephew.

Dipper nodded.

"Is he asleep?" asked Stan.

"Unconscious. Manly Dan got to the face of evil before you."

"Did you think you were going to somehow wake him up with that?"

"Well, yeah," said Dipper. "An airhorn may be overkill, but—"

"Dipper, that's a can of spray cheese."

Dipper looked down at the metallic canister in his hand. "Oh. It is, isn't it? Weird." He tossed the can of spray cheese flippantly over his shoulder, and it hit the former god directly on the nose.

"OW! What?!" cried Harold, sitting up.

"What do you know," said Stan with a grin. "It  _is_ possible to wake an unconscious person with a can of pasteurized cheese-like food product."

Dipper swiveled to face his foe-turned-grandfather-in-law. "Mornin' sunshine."

Harold stood and looked around, frowning. "Where am I? Where is my family?" His gaze fell on Stan. "And who is  _that_?"

Stan waved. "Hi, I'm Stanley Pines, a friend of the Corduroy family, and Wendy's unofficial grandfather figure. I came here to punch you."

Harold took a hesitant step backward. "Is he serious?" he asked Dipper.

Dipper grinned. "Oh yeah. Don't worry, I'm not going to let him punch you right now, since you just woke up. In answer to where your family is? Away from you. Sorry, Harold. You got voted off the island."

Harold blinked. "What island? There's an island?"

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Moving along. This lovely clearing is your home for the time being. We'll be camping here, since your entire family hates you. For your transgressions, you've been sentenced to hard labor, helping me build the cabin that will be mine and Wendy's future home."

"They  _all_ hate me?" asked Harold, looking crestfallen. "Even Beithe?"

"Dude. You stole her away from her husband and children, and kept her trapped as a tree for six years. It's safe to assume she's not fond of you," said Dipper.

"Well, this has been fun," said Stan. "But if I can't punch him right now, I think I'll go over to the Mystery Shack and watch some re-runs of Ducktective. Oh, wait." Stan grabbed a scrap of paper and a pen from his pocket, and scribbled a quick note, then handed it to Harold. "Here."

"I.O.U. one face punch," read Harold slowly. He looked up at Stan, who grinned and made finger guns at him, before turning and walking from the clearing.

"I don't remember mortals being quite this strange when I last visited the Mundane Realm for any length of time," remarked Harold. "Granted, that was at least five of your centuries ago."

"Well, Grandpa Harold, you have a lot to catch up on then, don't you?" said Dipper, slapping Harold on the back. "If you behave yourself and try not to go kidnapping anyone, I may introduce you to the mind-numbing delight that is television. For now, let's stick to the basics. Lesson one—how to pitch a tent."

/

Beithe and Wendy were sparring with their magic at the Gravnemeta, grappling with thorn-covered vines, when they heard it.

" _Nas…_ " a voice whispered through the trees. " _Nasu…_ "

Beithe's vines that had been wrapped around Wendy's torso receded. "Um, you heard that too, right?" she asked her daughter.

Wendy nodded, her face paper white. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked quietly, pointing to a barely discernable ripple of light in the air near the giant oak. The ripple split, and a foul black smoke poured out, quickly rendering the air painful to breathe.

"Wendy, blip and get Dipper,  _now_. Fenris, too," Beithe choked out. "And Puck if you can find him… anyone. Get anyone. This is bad!"

Wendy opened her mouth to say she didn't want to leave her mother alone at the Gravnemeta, but all that came out was a gasping cough. Beithe reached out and squeezed her daughter's hand. Wendy was trembling, but she nodded. As the acrid black smog swirled around her, she closed her eyes, concentrated on Dipper, and vanished.


	6. Chapter 6

Dipper stood idly, biting at a hangnail, as he watched Harold struggle to start a fire using only two sticks.

"You know," said Harold grumpily, "I am well aware that humans possess the technology to make lighting fires  _much_ easier than this." He looked up at Dipper only to see the satyr flash him a cheeky grin.

"Just consider this a part of your penance, Harold. Besides, I thought you shunned humanity and all the technology we've created."

Harold opened his mouth to reply, then gasped audibly, followed by a raspy coughing fit, as Wendy suddenly appeared in the clearing, in a great billow of heavy, black smoke.

"Wendy!" cried Dipper, as she fell to her knees, wheezing. He conjured an industrial-size fan and blew the smoke away from her. It hit the tree line of the clearing before dissipating, and the needles on the trees it hit began to turn brown and cascade to the ground. The smoke left cracked, withered, dead husks of trees where only seconds before, vibrant, green conifers had stood.

Harold stared at the dead trees, horrified, while Dipper darted forward and helped Wendy to her feet.

"Are you okay?" asked Dipper, grabbing her by the shoulders.

Wendy coughed and nodded, her throat still too constricted to speak.

"What in all the realms was  _that_?" asked Harold. "The trees! It… it just  _killed_ them..."

"I don't know, but it's bad," croaked Wendy. "We have to get help and get back to the Gravnemeta, quick, Dipper! I left my mom there by herself!"

Harold's eyebrows shot up. "Beithe's in trouble? I'll come help!"

Dipper rolled his eyes. "You have no powers, remember Harold? There's nothing you can do to help."

"He's right, old man," said Wendy, her voice cold. "You'd only be a liability. C'mon Dipper. We need to hurry and see if Puck is at his house."

The pair linked arms, and disappeared from the clearing.

Harold sat down in the dirt, and stared vacantly at the dead trees.

/

Sirona had just sat down a tray laden with cups of tea and cookies when Dipper and Wendy blipped into Tad Strange's living room.

"Oh, more visitors!" she said, grinning. "I'll go put the kettle back on…" Sirona trailed off as she noticed the terror in Wendy's eyes. "What's wrong, dear?"

"The Gravnemeta's being attacked, and my mom's there by herself," said Wendy, her voice shaking. "We need help!"

"Is Puck here?" asked Dipper, glancing around. His gaze landed on Fenris and Mabel, sitting side-by-side on a floral print sofa. He wanted to ask what they were doing at Tad Strange's house, but there were more pressing issues at hand. "Oh, good, Fenris, we'll need you too. Sirona, will you come with us?"

Sirona glanced down at Cecil. The boa had wound himself around Wendy's legs, his tiny forked tongue flicking in and out of his mouth as he smelled her. He unwound himself quickly, and slithered back over to Sirona.

"Oh no," she said. Her normally chipper face was a mask of concern. "Cecil says an ancient one, from the same realm of the daevas, is attacking. Yes, of course we'll help."

Fenris' face went white, as he remembered the previous attack from that realm.

Mabel stood, and grabbed Fenris' hand and pulling him up with her. "We're in."

"Fenris, yes, but you? No way," said Dipper. "It's too dangerous, and you're still healing."

"Protecting the Gravnemeta is literally  _my job_ ," Mabel said, venom in her voice.

Dipper opened his mouth to argue, but Sirona interrupted him.

"I've just cleared Mabel for duty, and we don't have time to stand around and fight about it," she said urgently. She grabbed Mabel's hand, and with a pop, she, Cecil, Mabel, and Fenris disappeared.

"Dammit!" Dipper's cry echoed for a moment in the empty living room, as he and Wendy blipped back to the Gravnemeta.

/

The Gravnemeta was eerily quiet, except for a wheezing rattle that emanated from near the center. The black smoke was so thick that Mabel could see no more than a foot or two in any direction. She wondered how any of them could possibly fight  _smoke_ , when her lungs seized up and she fell into a fit of coughing. Fenris clung to her hand, not doing much better. He was pale and sweaty as he gasped for what little oxygen remained in the air. Sirona, with Cecil draped across her shoulders, stumbled toward the middle of the Gravnemeta, and the faint rattle of lungs nearly on their last breath

"Mom!" choked out Wendy. She and Dipper had materialized directly in front of Beithe's crumpled form.

"Dipper, oxygen!" Sirona rasped out between coughs. Dipper, who was holding his breath, stared at her blankly.

"A tank," croaked Sirona. "And a mask!"

"Oh, right," said Dipper, forgetting that he'd been holding his breath. He conjured the items and handed them to Sirona before doubling over and emitting a harsh, hacking cough.

Mabel pulled the collar of her shirt up over her mouth and nose, hoping to ease her breathing some. Fenris followed suit, as they ventured closer to the others, and watched Sirona strap the clear, plastic mask to Beithe's face. Sirona turned the valve on the canister and started the oxygen flowing. Almost immediately, color began to return to Beithe's ashen cheeks.

"Mabel, Fenris, catch!" wheezed Dipper, as he threw two gas masks toward them. Wendy was already pulling her gas mask on. Dipper leaned over and settled a gas mask onto Sirona as she ministered to Beithe, before putting his own on. Everyone began to breathe more freely. Slowly the coughing and gasping died away, leaving behind nothing but eerie silence.

Dipper turned to Wendy and cocked his head, looking at her through the thick, yellowed lenses on his gas mask.

"Are you my mummy?"

Wendy snorted inside her mask, then kicked Dipper lightly in the shin. "This isn't the best time for Doctor Who references, dork." Nobody could see her face, but it sounded like she was smiling.

"What should we do about the smoke?" asked Mabel. "This can't be good for local wildlife."

"A fan's no good," said Wendy. "When I blipped to Dipper, some smoke blipped with me. He used a fan to blow it away, but the trees it hit all immediately died."

Sirona's head shot up. "It killed the trees? Immediately?"

"Yeah, they just—" began Dipper, but Sirona held up a finger to shush him.

"Cecil says the ancient one is almost here," the goddess said, a note of panic wavering in her voice. "Wendy, Dipper, move Beithe outside of the Gravnemeta, and then hurry back—I have to put a ward up. This smoke cannot be allowed to pollute the Mundane."

Mabel and Fenris stood aside while Beithe was moved to safety, and watched with interest as Sirona ran frantically around the boundary of the Gravnemeta, chanting in her ancient Gaulish tongue.

"Mabel," said Fenris softly, turning to look her in the face, only to remember they were both wearing gas masks. He squeezed her hand. "I am scared for you."

Mabel sighed. "Fen, this is what I've been training for. I'm just glad to have some godly help this time. I… crap, I don't even have a weapon on me!"

"Dipper, Mabel needs a weapon!" cried Fenris, as Dipper and Wendy trotted back toward them from the edge of the Gravnemeta.

"What kind?" asked Dipper, rubbing his hands together.

"A glaive," said Mabel immediately. She hadn't been training with it long, but for some reason, the polearm felt the most natural of all the weapons she'd trained with.

"A what now?" asked Dipper, cocking his head to the side.

"Like, a spear," said Mabel, gesturing wide with her hands. "But with a sword on the end."

As Dipper was conjuring the weapon, it began to rain—large, fat black drops landed on the group, stinging their uncovered skin.

"Sorry about the rain," said Sirona, as she jogged up behind them, Cecil draped across her shoulders. "The ward I set up is basically a dome of water…the smoke hitting it becomes… acid rain, I guess"

Before anyone could answer, they heard it. A low, gurgling growl, and a heavy, slow, almost metallic footfall, making its way toward them from the center of the Gravnemeta.

"Uh, shit," said Dipper, handing Mabel her weapon and backing up a few steps.

"Dipper, this is a scythe!" hissed Mabel.

"Sorry, I panicked!" said Dipper, with a nervous laugh. "It, uh, it looks plenty sharp, though."

Mabel sighed. "Everyone space out. We don't know what we're dealing with, and right now we're just a perfect little clustered up target."

Everyone stared at Mabel as if she'd grown two heads. The gravelly breathing and footsteps grew closer.

"Space out! Now!" shouted Mabel.

Everyone split, except Fenris, who was very conflicted.

"Mabel, I have to stay with you," he said softly, desperation in his voice. "I became human so I could—"

"Protect me, I know." Mabel reached out and touched his arm, which was slick with grimy, black water. She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, Fen. You're with me. You watch my back, I'll watch yours."

Fenris sighed with relief, but with Mabel's next words, he tensed right back up.

"So, I know as a wolf you had the whole bitey thing going on—but what are your powers in human form? You  _do_ have powers, right?"

Before Fenris could answer her, they were nearly knocked to the ground by a wave of superheated air, accompanied by a deafening roar that sounded like a diesel engine mixed with the screech of grinding gears.

An enormous, dark beast broke through the smoke about three meters in front of Mabel and Fenris, creeping slowly on all fours. It looked like an amalgamation of demonic hyena and robot. It was covered in a thin, leathery, grey skin, with metallic joints, and deep-set eye sockets, which lit up like glowing coals from within. It whipped a long, lizard-like, steel-scaled tail around its body, causing the smoke to billow and swirl.

The creature opened its mouth to roar again, and Mabel and Fenris could see all the way down its throat, into the pit of its belly—its insides burned with white-hot flame. As it let out another bone-rattling roar, thick black smoke poured out of its mouth.

Mabel took a deep breath, planted her feet solidly and straightened her shoulders. Her eyes darted to Fenris, and she hoped he was looking at her through the thick lenses of the gas mask. His head was angled toward her, in any case.

"Let's play offense," she whispered. An almost imperceptible nod of Fenris' head told her he heard and acknowledged her words.

"NOW!" cried Mabel, as she took a running leap at the demon, bringing her scythe down in a wide arc, aiming for the creature's head. Before the blow could connect, the creature swiped her out the air with a massive paw, and sent her flying backward.

" _Mabel!_ " screamed Fenris. He kept his eyes on the beast, dancing backward, deftly dodging the swipes from its razor-sharp claws.

She sat up and coughed, getting her wind back. "I'm fine," she wheezed, as Fenris reached her and gave her a hand back up.

"Fen, look out!" Mabel cried suddenly. While Fenris was focused on her, he'd let his guard down. The creature took advantage of this, and launched itself at him.

Mabel threw herself at Fenris, tackling him to the ground just in time for him to watch the demon sail through the spot where he'd just been standing.

"Thanks," he murmured, as Mabel rolled off of him. "Hey, is it just me, or does it look like the smoke is starting to clear?"

The creature was crouching behind them, preparing for another attack.

"Maybe?" said Mabel. As long as she had the gasmask and could breathe, she didn't care about the smoke.

Mabel pulled Fenris to his feet without taking her eyes off the beast. It leapt at them, its jaws snapping, black foam dripping from its silver fangs. As she and Fenris dodged, she swung her scythe around, slicing into one of the creature's forelegs. It lifted its head and screeched, as black blood poured from the wound.

"Nice! So it  _can_ be hurt," said Dipper. He and Wendy were standing halfway across the clearing, next to a giant metal box that was sucking the smog in through a large circular vent on its front.

"I told you it looked like the smoke was clearing," said Fenris cheerfully, as he and Mabel jogged toward Dipper and Wendy. "It's even stopped raining on us!"

"Guys, hurry!" urged Wendy, waving them forward. "It's right behind you!"

"Split!" yelled Mabel. She ran left and Fenris ran right, hoping to confuse it.

Mabel didn't have to look over her shoulder to know that the creature was still chasing her. She heard the sound of it running, like pistons firing, and she could feel its superhot breath on the back of her neck. It was too close behind her to risk turning to attack it.

"Someone, please get this thing off me!" she shouted.

"Can do!" cried Sirona, emerging from what was left of the smoke on the opposite side of the clearing, Cecil slung over her shoulders, carrying an armful of rocks. "Hey 'ancient one,'" the goddess of healing springs called out mockingly. "Ready to rock n' roll?"

She began pelting it with large stones, mainly aiming for its head.

"Crude, but effective," said Dipper, as he, Wendy, and Fenris trotted up to Mabel. The creature had given up on its prey, and began bearing down on its attacker.

"Almost out of rocks!" Sirona sang out. "Someone else be the diversion now?"

"Coming," called Wendy. She ran full tilt until she was parallel with the beast, and shot vines from her hands at it. Dipper, Fenris and Mabel followed close behind her, readying themselves to attack.

The vines, still an extension of Wendy's hands, reached the demon, and wrapped around its torso, causing it to stop its charge at Sirona, and claw frantically at the growth that was tightening around its rib cage. When Sirona saw the creature halt, she booked it toward the others.

"All right!" crowed Wendy. "Flower power for the win!"

Her glee was short-lived, however. Dipper spotted it before she did.

"Wendy, release the vines!" he yelled. The vines around the demon began to turn black and crumble, the decay quickly speeding down the vines toward Wendy.

"What?" Wendy asked, just as the decay reached her hands. Her body suddenly slumped, and she crumpled nearly to the ground. Dipper caught her and lowered her more gently than she would have fallen.

"Sirona!" he screamed, panicked.

"You don't have to yell, I'm right here," said the older goddess gently, as she knelt next to Wendy.

Behind them, the beast was clawing away the last of its binds.

The air was clear enough that Mabel pulled off her gasmask. She turned to Fenris.

"Looks like it's down to us." She dropped the mask at her feet, and tilted her neck, cracking it. "Now would be a good time to figure out if you have any powers in your human form."

/

Fenris peeled off his mask, and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his arm, leaving behind a streak of black grime. He narrowed his eyes at the demon. He had to protect Mabel. Nothing was more important to him.

"I am destruction," he murmured to himself.

"What?" asked Mabel.

Fenris shook his head, sending little droplets of sweat flying from the tips of his hair.

"Nothing." He nodded toward the monster, who had just tossed aside the last of the vines constricting it. "We need to draw it away from them so Sirona can heal Wendy."

"I'll go head-on, you flank," said Mabel, with grim determination.

Fenris touched her arm softly. "Be careful, Mabel."

She surprised him by leaning in and kissing him on the cheek, before running directly at the beast, screaming "HEY BUTTFACE!"

Fenris grinned to himself as he took off at a run, making a wide arc around the Gravnemeta.

His mind was racing. He'd watched Dipper learn to master  _his_  magic—or at least be able to use it effectively around seventy percent of the time. A god's magic was connected to what it primarily represented. The main reason Dipper's magic was so versatile was because almost anything could be used to cause mischief. Fenris had to narrow his scope to destruction.

He stopped just behind the monster, taking care to watch out for its wildly lashing tail. Mabel was holding her own against the beast, slashing at it with the scythe and dodging out of its range while shouting insults at it.

Fenris tried to slow his breathing, and concentrate on destruction. He closed his eyes, and suddenly felt something small and round in his hand. He looked down.

A grenade. That wouldn't work. There would be too much chance to hurt everyone at the Gravnemeta. Fenris sighed and closed his eyes, willing the grenade out of existence. He tried to concentrate on destruction once again, but his focus was shattered by a scream.

"Mabel?!"

The beast had knocked her to the ground, and was holding her down with a paw on her chest. She was trying to hold off its snapping jaws with the staff of her scythe.

There was no thought involved, only instinct. Fenris ran full-speed at the demon's side, and barreled into it, knocking it down, and freeing Mabel. As the beast struggled to its feet, Fenris scrambled onto its back, grabbing its neck, and twisting it.

The creature's neck didn't break as Fenris had intended it to. He surmised that it must be because its bones, like its teeth, were probably metal.

"Well shit," muttered Fenris, as the beast began to buck like a prize bull, trying to throw off its hanger-on.

Fenris clung to the demon's neck, trying to simultaneously choke off its air supply, and keep from being flung off.

Mabel bit her lip anxiously. She tried to get close enough to the creature to use her scythe, but it was literally spinning in circles, its limbs and tail flailing wildly.

Fenris caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn't tell what it was. Mabel saw it too.

"Cecil!" she cried. "Be careful, it'll crush you!"

The snake ignored her, and deftly maneuvered under the monster. It anchored itself by wrapping the end of its tail around on of the demon's feet, and began to weave itself in a figure-eight around its legs, constricting them until it could no longer move.

As the demon ceased to spin, Fenris still clung to its neck, even as it lost its balance and was toppling over. He didn't want the thing to be able to bite Mabel. The fall felt like slow motion, and Fenris realized a bit too late that one of his legs was about to be caught under the monster when it landed.

The demon thrashed as it fell, but Cecil held its legs tightly. It landed with a thud, roaring and hissing, black foam frothing out of its mouth, as it tried desperately to free its head from Fenris' grip.

"Mabel, now!" cried Fenris, as he pulled back as hard as he could on the beast's head, exposing its throat.

Mabel nodded, her mouth in a grim line, as she stepped forward and sliced the demon's throat, the depth of the cut extending halfway through its neck.

With a gurgling scream, black blood cascading from its gaping wound, the demon thrashed once, then went limp. The red, coal-like glow in its eye sockets dimmed, until nothing remained in its eyes but darkness.

Fenris let go of the beast's head, and flopped backwards. His aching arms felt like wet noodles.

"Cut its head all the way off, Mabel," he said, staring up at the dome of water that still protected the rest of the world from the residual pollution caused by the demon.

He heard a squelch and a thud.

"Gross," muttered Mabel. She walked over to Fenris, and held out her hand.

"I'm kind of stuck," he said with a small smile, nodding toward his trapped leg.

"Well, let's get you unstuck, then," she said in her cheerful, Mabel way. She tossed her scythe aside, and planted her shoulder against the demon's body, pushing it with all her might.

"Oof, this thing weighs a ton," said Mabel, straining to move it. She was able to budge it just enough that Fenris could slide himself backward, and free his leg.

Fenris slowly rose, putting weight gingerly on the leg that had been trapped.

"Yeah," he said, taking a tentative step, and grimacing. "I think its bones are solid steel or something ridiculous like that."

Mabel moved to put an arm around Fenris' shoulders, to help support him, but he caught it and pulled her against him in a fierce hug before she realized what was happening. He felt her heart begin to beat faster as he pressed a kiss onto the top of her head.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, not letting go.

"Am  _I_ okay?" she giggled into his shoulder. "Says the guy who just had his leg crushed by a huge, creepy demon thing."

"I saw it step on your chest, Mabel," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm a god—I'll bounce back from this in no time. But you're mortal… are you sure you're okay?"

Mabel pulled back slightly and looked Fenris in the eye. "I'll be bruised and sore," she said honestly. "But it's nothing serious. I promise, Fen."

Fenris bit his lip and nodded. He lowered his head, lightly resting his forehead against Mabel's.

She touched his cheek, and tilted her face slightly upward.

"I know you're an unconventional couple," said Dipper loudly, startling the pair apart. "But couldn't you at least move  _away_  from the decapitated monster before making out?"

Dipper approached them, carrying Wendy in his arms, with Sirona and Cecil by their side.

"We didn't—I mean, we're not—" sputtered Mabel, flustered.

"Is Wendy okay?" asked Fenris, frowning. Wendy appeared to be alert and pouting.

"Wendy is  _fine_ ," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Dingus here insists on carrying me. Wouldn't take no for an answer."

"You  _were_ a little wobbly on your feet, my dear," said Sirona in a motherly tone.

"Yeah, take his side," muttered Wendy.

"What was that with your vines, anyway?" asked Mabel. "Fen touched the creature and it didn't affect him like that."

"My theory is that it was a …pollution demon…maybe?" said Sirona with a shrug. That would explain why its effects seemed more pronounced on Beithe and Wendy, seeing as they are dryads."

Dipper looked up at the dome of water overhead. "The pollution mostly got sucked up in my industrial air purifier, so d'you think the ward can come down? We should probably check on Beithe."

Sirona nodded. "Right you are." She snapped her fingers, and the water evaporated in a puff of mist, which quickly dissipated in the breeze.

_Clap. Clap. Clap._

A slow clap echoed through the clearing, and everyone turned to see the source. A man of indeterminate age, dressed in an open, steel gray Nehru jacket over an ice-blue hoodie and jeans, was making his way across the Gravnemeta toward the group, a smarmy grin pasted across his face. His features were delicate, and his hair was black. A white trilby hat was perched jauntily on his head. He held a thick, iron chain in one hand. He gave the chain a strong tug.

"Come along now, love," said the man, his gentle voice carrying across the clearing. "You don't want to keep your friends waiting, do you?"

A bound, gagged, and thoroughly beaten-looking Arden stumbled forward.

Mabel gasped, and started to call out, but a vice-like grip clamped on her elbow, and she disappeared.

/

Mabel blinked, taken aback. She was in her bedroom in the Mystery Shack. She turned and looked at Fenris, rubbing her elbow where he'd gripped her so hard. She meant to give him an earful and have him blip her back to the Gravnemeta, but the look on his face stopped her.

"Fen, what's wrong?"

He was shaking, his face ashen, and his eyes wild. Mabel took his trembling hand, and steered him over to the bed. She sat him down on the edge, and knelt in front of him. She reached out to touch his cheek, and he flinched.

"You're scaring me," she said. "Please tell me what's wrong."

Fenris took a shaky breath.

"Mabel, that was my dad. That was Loki."


	7. Chapter 7

"Loki." Sirona frowned at the Norse trickster. "Unbind Arden. Now."

Dipper and Wendy both shot glances over at Fenris, but he and Mabel were gone. The couple met each other's eyes, their expressions mirror images of confusion.

Loki smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, as he strode across the Gravnemeta. He looked like a really nice guy, apart from the fact that he was trailing a beaten and gagged goddess along behind him like a dog.

"Put me down, Dipper," Wendy whispered. "I'm feeling kind of fighty-or-flighty."

Dipper nodded, and gently placed Wendy on her feet.

"I have to say, that was an excellent performance," drawled Loki. He stopped about a meter from the group and grinned. "Especially that bull-riding bit—that was genius. Well, not really. It was idiotic—but in the most entertaining way. Where is that boy? He deserves a smiley-face sticker or something."

Sirona wasn't amused. She crossed her arms and stared the trickster down.

"Unbind. Arden. NOW."

Loki narrowed his eyes, and tapped his chin with a finger. "Yeah, no. I mean, for all you know, she  _likes_ being tied up. Maybe that's her fetish." He glanced at Wendy, and winked, murmuring "I know it's one of mine."

"Okay, ew," muttered Wendy.

"Sorry," said Dipper, hesitantly raising his hand like he was in class. "Um, hi, new god here. Can you at least tell us why you have Arden tied up?"

"Why, yes, in fact, I can," said Loki. "You see, before I tied her up, she kept trying to run away from me. It was quite rude of her."

"Um," said Dipper. "So, but…  _why_?"

Loki rolled his eyes. " _Because_ I was trying to talk to her. Yeesh. Did no one ever teach you how to infer from context, kid?"

"No, that's not—" sputtered Dipper.

"He meant why did you kidnap Arden in the first place?" asked Wendy, her eyes narrowed.

"Oh, pish posh," said Loki, flapping a hand. "Kidnap is such an  _unpleasant_  term. Think of it more like… I took her on an involuntary vacation."

Arden stood slightly behind Loki, staring daggers at the back of his head.

"Semantics," spat Sirona. "Why did you take her, and what do you want?"

"Well, it seems my son has gone missing," said Loki, pouting theatrically. "You may have heard of him. Big, furry, pointy ears and teeth—goes by the name of Fenrir? See, I have it on good authority that someone from the Green Realm released him from his bonds. When I questioned the new king of the Green… whatsits… horny guy…"

"Cernunnos," supplied Dipper.

"Right! Cernunnos," said Loki. "When I asked him about it, he said that the last time he saw Fenrir, my boy was accompanying some gods to the Mundane Realm, to help  _protect_  it or some foolishness. Said his sister, Arduinna, might know where to find him." Loki winked and tilted his head back toward Arden.

"But why kidnap Arden?" asked Sirona. "Why not just come ask her?"

Loki shrugged. "I was bored."

"You asshole," said Dipper, clenching his fists. "After you took Arden, daevas attacked the Gravnemeta and nearly killed my sister!"

A smirk slowly spread across Loki's mouth. "Ah yes, the daevas. They provided a very good distraction while I nipped in and absconded with Her Royal Bitchiness," he said, indicating over his shoulder with a thumb.

Dipper saw red. Wendy and Sirona had to grab him by the elbows to hold him back from attacking Loki.

"You  _brought_  them here?" he shrieked, his voice cracking.

Loki grinned and shrugged, his hands palms-up. "What can I say? I'm a fan of chaos and mayhem."

Dipper started to yell profanities at the Norse god, but was muffled when Sirona placed her hand over his mouth.

"The pollution demon…monster…thing…that was you too, I gather?" asked Sirona, glancing over at the corpse of the beast, laying apart from its head in a pool of black ooze.

"Nasu? Yeah, that was me," said Loki casually, chuckling. "Boy, he was a nasty one, wasn't he? Those ancient demons don't mess around."

Sirona, Dipper, and Wendy stared at Loki wordlessly. He stared back without blinking.

"So," said Loki, ending the awkward silence. "My boy. Arden says he hangs around the girl who's supposed to protect this place, and pretends to be her puppy?" He paused. "I might have to have a talk with him about that. Gods of destruction are not supposed to be small and cute.

"Anyway," he continued, "I'm here to make a deal. I will trade you one slightly-used goddess for one fluffy little doom-bringer. At sundown tomorrow, you will bring my son to me here. Should you be disinclined to acquiesce to my request, I will let some of Nasu's big brothers out to play. They don't play well with others."

With a soft pop, Loki and Arden disappeared from the Gravenemeta. Loki's malevolent laughter, however, lingered in the clearing for almost a minute after he'd gone.

/

Mabel sat next to Fenris on her bed, and took his hand. It was cold and clammy.

"Why are you so scared of your dad?" she asked softly. "I mean, my first impression of him isn't great, what with him showing up with my mentor in chains… But is he really so bad? I thought he was a trickster, like Puck and Dipper."

"He's a trickster, yeah," said Fenris, his chin trembling. "But he's  _nothing_ like Puck and Dipper."

"How so?" asked Mabel. She leaned back against the pillows at the head of the bed, and propped her feet up, patting the empty spot beside her. Fenris scooted next to her, and curled up against her side, making himself as small as possible.

"Dipper is a smartass, but you know your brother—he's a genuinely good guy. Puck can be an asshole, and sometimes takes jokes too far," explained Fenris. "But he's mostly an  _okay_  guy. He usually does what he does for selfish reasons, but he doesn't go out of his way to hurt people."

"And Loki?" prompted Mabel.

Fenris shivered, and pressed his face into Mabel's shoulder. "He's not an okay guy," he mumbled. "He has no sense of honor, no capacity to love. He does  _nothing_  that does not benefit him in some way. When the Aesir became scared of me due to my size, they bound me in magic chains, and propped my mouth open with a sword. I screamed the whole time. Wailed. In my mind-speak I shouted to any who were nearby that I was wrongly imprisoned—that I had done nothing to deserve my binds. Okay, so I  _did_ bite off Tyr's hand, but that was only after I realized they had tricked me and I was trapped. I panicked."

"You bit off a guy's hand?" asked Mabel.

"A god, actually…yes," said Fenris, his voice small. He was afraid of Mabel's reaction.

"That is so… _metal_!" she enthused.

"Um, I guess?" said Fenris. "Anyway, the point I was trying to make, is that my father could have come to my aid at any time. He knew where I was. In fact, he came by to see me once. I cried out for him to help me, and do you know what he did? He laughed. Said it was my own fault for being gullible and letting the Aesir put the chain on me."

"What a dick," said Mabel, running her fingers through Fenris' hair. "That's awful, Fen. I'm so sorry he treated you like that. But—and I'm not trying to downplay what a rat bastard he is—you seem actually  _scared_  of him. I understand why you'd hate him, but why are you so scared?"

Fenris trembled. "The prophecy," he said. "I think he's going to try and use it against me."

"How?" asked Mabel.

"In the prophecy, Ragnarok begins when I break free of my chains, and start devouring the world," said Fenris. He pressed himself closer to Mabel, and squeezed his eyes shut. "Since I'm free of my chains, I think he wants me to start… start doing what I'm meant for."

"Oh, God," Mabel breathed. "You think—"

Fenris cut her off.

"Loki wants me to destroy the world."


	8. Chapter 8

Mabel lay on her bed, Fenris pressed against her, shaking. She gently stroked his hair. He was the most pure soul she knew. The Ragnarok prophecy was a bunch of bullshit.

"Loki can't  _make_  you do anything you don't want to, though, right?" asked Mabel softly.

"I don't know," said Fenris, his voice small. "He's a pro at manipulating people to get what he wants. I mean, he had Arden chained up—she's his hostage. There's a good chance he's offering to trade her for me, if he found out I'm here."

"That's exactly what he's offering."

Mabel and Fenris both jumped, and sat up quickly. They hadn't heard Dipper blip in.

"Shit," muttered Mabel.

Dipper sat on the edge of his old bed, his hands on his furry goat knees. He wore a pained expression.

"It gets worse," he continued. "It was Loki who released the daevas into the Mundane. He released them as a distraction so he could kidnap Arden. Turns out he'd been told that she might know where Fenrir was hiding. It looked like he'd tortured the answer out of her."

"Oh, God," said Mabel. She grabbed Fenris's hand in hers, and squeezed. It was ice cold.

Fenris stared at the floor as he spoke. "So he knows I'm here, then."

Dipper nodded. "Yes—but he still thinks you're in puppy form. Remember, Arden was kidnapped before you took human form. He didn't recognize you, even though he mentioned 'the boy' fighting Nasu, that demon, just now. Speaking of Nasu, Loki released  _it_ too."

"But  _why_?" breathed Mabel. "He obviously already knew you were here from Arden—why attack us?"

Fenris frowned, and ran his free hand through his hair, making it stick up in clumps. "Probably to show us what he's capable of—and simply to cause mayhem."

Dipper sighed. "You're right. And...and he said if we didn't release you to him by sundown tomorrow, he was going to let loose some of Nasu's 'big brothers' to wreak havoc on the Gravnemeta."

"Big brothers?" whispered Mabel, going pale. "So Nasu was  _small_?"

Dipper nodded, his eyes weary. "Wendy, Beithe, and Sirona are gathering everyone together to discuss what to do. We're going to meet in an hour at the campsite where I'm building mine and Wendy's cabin."

Fenris glanced up at Dipper, his normally bright blue eyes now a stormy, gray color. "What's to discuss? I have to go with him. Arden's one of  _you_. I'm the odd one out, here. And I can't let my dad release any more of those ancient demons. We were barely able to take out this one."

"Fen, no!" cried Mabel, throwing her arms around him. She pressed her face into his shoulder. "You can't! There has to be another way!"

Fenris looked at his hands, his chin quivering. "I'm sorry, Mabel."

Dipper stood up with a small grunt. "Look, just meet us in an hour. We'll figure everything out then."

"Dipper, please, you can't let him—" began Mabel, looking up at her brother with tears in her eyes.

Dipper cut her off. "Oh, and here." In his hands there suddenly appeared a set of clothes and a pair of combat boots. He shoved them into Fenris's arms. "I had to guess your size, but they should probably fit. You look ridiculous in Soos's old clothes."

Fenris smiled wryly at his best friend. "Gee, thanks."

Dipper nodded and gave Fenris a mock salute, before blipping away.

Fenris stood and tossed the heap of clothes onto Dipper's old bed, before pulling Soos's too-big sweatshirt over his head.

Mabel caught herself staring, then blushed and looked away. "You're not really going to leave me, are you Fen?" she asked softly, her face to the wall. Fenris was quiet—the only noise in the room was the rustle of clothes as he got dressed.

The mattress creaked as he sat back down on the bed, and pulled on the socks and combat boots Dipper had supplied him with. Mabel figured it was safe to turn back around, and the sight that met her broke her heart. Fenris was staring at her, woebegone, silent tears pouring down his cheeks.

"Fen," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

With a sob he launched himself toward her, wrapped his arms around her, and buried his head in her shoulder.

/

An hour later, Fenris blipped himself and Mabel over to the clearing where Dipper and Wendy's cabin would eventually be located. Their eyes were red and puffy, and they clasped hands tightly, as they walked forward and saw that everyone was already there.

 _Everyone_ : Puck, Beithe, Dan, Marcus, Sirona, both Stans, Wendy and Dipper, Harold, Soos, Melody, and even Grenda, with Bork riding on her shoulder. They were sitting around the clearing in lawn chairs, chatting amongst themselves. They grew quiet as Mabel and Fenris approached.

"Um, hi," said Mabel, raising her hand at the group and waggling her fingers at them. "If you're all here, who is watching the Gravnemeta?"

"Good ol' Cecil has an eye on it for me," said Sirona, beckoning Mabel and Fenris toward two empty lawn chairs. "We have a psychic link. Anything happens, and I can blip over there in half a second."

"Oh," said Mabel, as she sat. "Good." She turned to Fenris. His face was pale, and his features pinched. A lump rose in her throat. "Okay...we're here. So..."

Beithe finished her question."So what are we going to do about Loki? We have some ideas."

Fenris gripped the arms of his lawn chair with white knuckles. "There's nothing to talk about. You all need Arden back—and we can't risk Loki letting more ancient demons through."

"Well, we certainly aren't giving  _you_ to Loki, if that's what you have in mind," Beithe said, crossing her arms. A murmur of agreement rippled through the group. Fenris looked up, his eyes wide.

"But-" he began to protest weakly.

"But nothin', kid," interrupted Stanley, his gruff voice warm. "You helped get our Wendy back. It was  _you_  who arranged to get Dipper back from the dead when the dingus went and got himself killed. You're his best friend—and you're Mabel's...boyfriend? Puppy? I don't know. Point is, you're family now. We don't give up on family around here."

Fenris could barely talk—his throat felt tight. "But what about Arden? And the demons?" he managed to get out.

It was Harold who spoke this time, quietly, from the back of the group. "If Loki kills Arden, he will have killed the sister of the new king of the Green Realm. I doubt he would be foolish enough to risk it. It would mean all-out war between our realms."

"You haven't actually met my dad, have you?" asked Fenris. "He is chaos incarnate. The mayhem created by war is right in his wheelhouse."

"Fen," muttered Mabel under her breath, as she grabbed his hand. "Stop arguing, please—I don't want them to change their minds!"

Fenris looked at her. "But she's your mentor, Mabel! She's teaching you to fight, to be the protector of the Gravnemeta."

"Look, kiddo," said Puck, standing up with his arms folded over his chest. "We aren't going to just abandon Arden. I've already sent some contacts of mine into the Norse Realm to see if they can find where Loki's holding her. Once they get back to me, we can plan a rescue mission."

"So you all would really risk having to fight off more ancient demons, just to keep me around?" Fenris asked quietly. Everyone nodded.

"You're a good dog, Fenris," said Grenda loudly. Bork, sitting on her shoulder, nodded his head vigorously. "And Loki is a bad god. You belong here, with us."

Mabel squeezed Fenris's hand tightly. He looked at her, and bit his lower lip. She smiled. "You hear that, Fen? You're family. You belong with us—and we're not letting you go without a fight."

Fenris looked away, sniffed, and wiped his eyes with his free hand.

"Okay," said Dipper, with a small grin. "So now that  _that's_ out of the way, we need to talk about how we're going to prep the Gravnemeta for a fight."

/

Wendy and the Stans stuck around the campsite with Dipper and Harold after everyone else left. The discussion had run long, and it was twilight.

"So you  _really_  intend to come fight with us at the Gravnemeta tomorrow?" Stanley asked Harold. He eyed Harold's mortal physique, and smirked. "You don't bring much to the table, do you?"

Harold stared down his nose at Stan. "I am thousands of years old," he huffed. "There is much I am capable of."

Wendy, sitting in front a campfire that Dipper had conjured, roasting marshmallows, scoffed. "Maybe when you were still a  _god_ , Gramps. I saw what my dad did to you. You've still got bruises from it. Can you even block a punch?"

Stan grinned widely.

"Stanley, no," said Ford firmly.

Harold turned to look at Ford. "No, what?"

There was a dull thwack, and Harold's eyes rolled up as he spun around and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Nope," Stan said, grinning at a laughing Wendy as he rubbed his knuckles. "He cannot block a punch. Apparently."

Ford sighed and knelt down to check on Harold. "Congratulations, Stanley, you knocked a defenseless man out cold. Are you proud of yourself?" He stood back up and crossed his arms.

"Absolutely," said Stan proudly, his hands on his hips. "Come on, Poindexter, the guy's a prick. He's a kidnapper and a misogynist. And don't forget, he was sent here as  _punishment_. I'm just doing my part to help out."

Dipper clapped Stan on the shoulder. "On behalf of gods everywhere, I thank you," he said, his tone solemn, but his eyes dancing with laughter.

"Seriously, Ford—don't worry about him," said Wendy, blowing on a marshmallow that had caught fire. "He trapped my mom in a tree and kidnapped me. I personally think he deserves worse than a punch in the face."

Ford sighed. "Heathens, all of you."

Dipper chuckled and trotted up to Ford, pulling his Grunkle's trench coat open, revealing the small arsenal that Ford kept on him at all times.

"Ha! You're one to talk. You like a fight as much as the rest of us—you're just a more technologically advanced heathen."

"OOOH!" cried Stan, pointing at his brother. "You just got called out by the goat boy!"

Ford tried to look grumpy, but the corners of his mouth twitching upward gave him away. He pulled his coat shut, and looked down at the still unconscious Harold.

"If he doesn't have magic and he can't fight, he's just going to be a liability tomorrow," he said, scratching his chin. "He'll probably end up getting himself killed."

"Eh, I doubt anyone would mourn his loss," said Stan, shrugging.

"Ugh," said Wendy. "My mom might, actually. She said that a long time ago he used to be a good guy. She was going to let him crash on our sofa, but the rest of us vetoed that idea."

Dipper nodded toward Ford's coat. "Give him one of your weapons, then," he suggested. "Something easy to use. Not a gun, though. I don't want Harold to end up shooting one of us."

Ford pouted. "But I need them."

" _All_  of them?" asked Stan. "Come on, Sixer. I know you have extra fingers, but you only have two hands."

Ford sighed and opened his coat, trying to decide which weapon he could part with that Harold might be able to actually use. He gripped the handle of a long, thin sword, and pulled it out, handing it to Dipper.

"Give him this," Ford said. "It's an electrified katana. That button there turns on the current. Warn him that once it's turned on he must  _not_  touch the metal part of the sword."

"Remind him to touch the metal part, got it," said Dipper, nodding.

"No,  _not_  to touch the metal part," said Ford.

Dipper grinned at him. "Fine, have it your way," he said.

Ford rolled his eyes and glanced at the sky. "It's getting late. I need to get back to my lab and make some modifications to some of my weapons before tomorrow."

Stan yawned. "And while he does his nerd thing, I need to sleep. See you kids, and I guess  _him_ ," he said, nudging Harold with his foot, "tomorrow morning."

Dipper and Wendy waved as the Stans headed back into the woods. Wendy then turned to Dipper, and put her arms around his neck. She sighed, and kissed him. Her lips were slightly sticky, and tasted like marshmallows.

"I should go, too," Wendy said, her mouth against his. "My dad'll send out a search party if I'm not home soon."

Dipper kissed her again, a lingering kiss that made her knees weak. "Are you  _sure_ you have to go?"

Harold groaned a few feet away, slowly sitting up and rubbing his jaw. Wendy raised an eyebrow at Dipper.

"Well, now I definitely do," she said. She kissed him swiftly once more.

"Goodnight Wen," whispered Dipper.

"Goodnight, dork."

/

The deep velvet twilight ushered away the last light of the day, and Mabel and Fenris lay side by side on the roof of the Mystery Shack, watching the stars come out.

Fenris chuckled, and pointed up. "That cluster of stars looks exactly like the mark on Dipper's forehead."

Mabel giggled. "Well, it would. That's where he gets his nickname—because his birthmark looks just like the big dipper."

"Nickname?" Fenris asked, confused. "I thought Dipper was his real name."

"Nope," said Mabel. She clasped her hands behind her head, and scooted a little closer to Fenris. "His real name is Mason."

"Mason?"

"Yup."

"I prefer Dipper," said Fenris.

"Ha," laughed Mabel. "So does he. I used to be jealous of him, when we were little. I wanted a nickname too. I hated my name."

"What did you want to be called?" asked Fenris, curious. He leaned up on his elbow so he could look at her.

Mabel flashed him a grin. "Sparkle Kitty Meow Meow Sassypants."

Fenris arched an eyebrow and tried not to laugh. "Oh. Well… that's a… nice nickname."

Mabel blew a raspberry. "Are you kidding? It's awful! I'm glad it didn't stick."

Fenris smiled. "Your real name is beautiful, anyway." He reached out and touched her cheek. "Just like you."

The blood rushed to Mabel's face. She flapped a hand at Fenris. "Pshh. You flatterer."

Fenris took her hand and held it to his lips, as he looked at her from under his eyelashes, and said softly, "Is it still considered flattery if it's true?"

"Uh," said Mabel, unable to look away from Fenris's instense gaze. The heat of his breath on her hand sent chills up her spine. Her heart was pounding, and she was lightheaded. She felt like her brain was short-circuiting. "Uh," she said again dumbly.

Fenris gave Mabel a rakish smile and let her hand go. "You okay?"

Mabel nodded. Her whole body tingled.

"You're shivering," observed Fenris. "It is kind of cold. We should get you inside."

He sat all the way up and offered her a hand. Mabel took it and sat up as well, but instead of standing, she threw her arms around Fenris's neck and pressed her face into his shoulder. His body was giving off warmth like a space heater. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close against him. Not satisfied, Mabel climbed into his lap, and wrapped her legs around his torso. She was shaking, but it wasn't because she was cold.

Fenris gripped Mabel tightly, and held his face against her neck. He could feel her pulse pounding. He realized he was shaking too. He'd known he'd loved Mabel before he took human form, but he hadn't expected the whole-body feeling that now seemed to take over. He felt a need for physical closeness with her in a way that he hadn't previously. In puppy form, he'd wanted to cuddle her, to provide her comfort and companionship in a completely innocent way. Now, his human body was prompting him to do things because  _he_ needed them—things that definitely didn't seem innocent.

Fenris let out a shuddering breath, and hesitantly pressed his mouth against Mabel's neck, feeling the beat of her heart through his lips. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Mabel, and pulled away quickly. Mabel made a small noise, and twined her fingers through his hair, pulling his head back toward her.

He pressed his mouth against her pulse point much less hesitantly this time, and his scalp tingled as Mabel gripped his hair more tightly. She lifted her chin, exposing more of her neck. Fenris sighed and breathed in her scent, detecting a musky note that he'd never noticed before.

"Mabel," he said softly, his mouth still pressed against her neck.

"Hmm?"

Fenris pulled back so that he could look at Mabel's face. Her eyes were closed, her thick eyelashes dark against her flushed cheeks, and her lips were slightly parted. She was the most beautiful creature he'd ever encountered.

"Please be careful tomorrow," he whispered. "I—I can't lose you."

Mabel's parted lips were too inviting. He tilted his face toward hers, and moved one of his hands to the back of her head. Their faces were so close that their warm breath mingled. Fenris pressed his lips against hers. Mabel sighed, and leaned into the kiss.

Fenris's kiss was slow and lingering, somehow gentle and intense at the same time. By the time he pulled away, Mabel was left breathless. She opened her eyes, and felt like she was melting from the intensity in Fenris's gaze.

Fenris touched Mabel's cheek, then leaned back in, resting his forehead against hers.

"I love you, Mabel," he breathed, the words hot against her skin.

"I love you, too, Fen," she whispered.

He smiled, and kissed her again.

/

As the sun rose above the treetops, a flurry of activity was already underway at the Gravnemeta. Beithe and Wendy were pointing out trees around the edge of the clearing that were okay for Dan and Marcus to chop down and use to build a barricade, to try and keep the demons from escaping into the Mundane. Puck had raised a henge of large standing stones, as one complaint everyone involved in the battle against Nasu had brought forth was that the Gravnemeta was a wide open space—there was no cover.

"Not my best work, but it'll do," said Puck, standing back and surveying the circle of enormous stones.

"What, have you built a henge before?" asked Ford, popping his head up from the hole in the ground that he and Stan were digging for use as a pit trap.

Puck grinned. "My best one is still standing, and it baffles people to this day. Stonehenge."

"Wait,  _you_  created Stonehenge?" asked Ford, incredulous.

Stan poked him with the handle of his shovel. "Hey Poindexter, you can dig  _and_ listen at the same time, you know."

Ford grumbled, but returned to digging as Puck proudly explained that he'd created Stonehenge as a joke, specifically because he wanted to confuse people.

"And it's still working, even to this day!" he ended, clapping his hands. "Probably the oldest practical joke in existence."

Ford peered back over the top of the hole, like an excited gopher. "Fascinating," he said.

"Ford. Dig," fussed Stan from behind him.

"We got food, dudes!" Soos called out, as he and Melody carried large picnic baskets in from the edge of the clearing.

"Whoop," said Stan as he quickly hoisted himself out of the hole and made a beeline for the picnic baskets.

"I thought you said we had to dig nonstop, Stanley," called Ford, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah, well, that was before breakfast got here," said Stanley, his voice muffled by the croissant stuffed in his mouth.

Ford climbed out of the hole and wiped his hands on his pants, before also heading toward the food.

"Where are Fenris and Mabel?" he asked, looking around.

"Aw, they were still in bed," said Soos, as he poured coffee into a styrofoam cup from a thermos, and handed the steaming beverage to Ford. "We figured we'd let the poor kids sleep in. They've had a rough go of it lately."

"Really?" asked Sirona. She had just blipped into the clearing, Cecil draped over her shoulders. "I'm surprised. Knowing how seriously Mabel takes her duty as Protector of the Gravnemeta, I figured she'd have been the first one here this morning."

Melody shrugged and looked pointedly at Sirona. "I guess we just wanted to give them the chance to act like normal teenagers for once."

"Oh..." said Sirona, her eyebrows raised. "Okay."

Stan peered suspiciously at Melody. "Did you just wink?" he asked. "Ford, I think Melody just wunk. Melody, why did you wink?"

Melody blinked at Stan innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Stan frowned at Melody with narrowed eyes, then grabbed a donut from the box she was setting out, and shuffled away, grumbling as he stuffed his face.

A short while later Grenda arrived, and began helping the Stans dig pit traps. Bork had stayed home—he was worried he'd just get under foot.

Around noon Dipper blipped to the clearing with Harold in tow.

"Sorry I'm so late. I had something to take care of… then I had to find Harold here, because he thought he didn't need to wait on me, and got lost trying to find the Gravnemeta."

Harold scowled. "I would have gotten here eventually," he muttered.

Dipper ignored his grandfather-in-law, and surveyed the clearing, whistling. "Impressive," he said, nodding. He made finger guns at Puck. "Nice henge."

Puck bowed with a flourish.

"Where's Mabel and Fenris?" Dipper asked, glancing around the clearing once more.

"We let them sleep in," said Melody, as Stan grumbled in the background.

Fully an hour later, Fenris finally blipped into the Gravnemeta, holding Mabel's hand. When they noticed everyone looking at them, they unclasped their hands and stepped apart, red-faced. Mabel's armor and glaive were tucked under her arm, and she sat them at the base of a tree.

"Good morning, sleepyheads," said Stan. "Nice of you to join us."

"Sorry," said Mabel, looking at her feet. "I, uh, forgot to set an alarm." She took a deep breath and looked up. "What still needs done?"

"Fenris can either help dig pit traps with Grenda and our Grunkles," said Dipper, "or he can help Dan and Marcus set up the barricade. And I think Sirona needed your help."

Fenris looked into the nearby pit, from which Stanley glowered at him, and decided he would best be put to use helping set up the barricade. Mabel made her way toward Sirona.

"Hey there, chickadee," said Sirona brightly. Cecil slithered up to Mabel and flicked his tongue at her, then looked at Sirona, who laughed.

Mabel frowned. "What's funny?"

Sirona waved a hand at her. "Never you mind. Now, I know Arden had been training you in battlefield tactics. I need you to tell me where I should set up the healing springs."

For the next couple hours, Mabel walked the clearing with Sirona, pointing out the best spots to locate the "health stations." That had been Dipper's idea, based on the health kits in certain video games. The springs would be inconspicuous, and would re-energize and heal (at least temporarily) anyone who knelt and splashed the water on their face.

Finally Soos and Melody showed back up with an early dinner, and everyone took a break to eat. They were all proud of their day's work. The Gravnemeta was transformed, and now they would have much more of a tactical advantage in the event of an attack. The pit traps were covered with a glamour of Puck's doing, that looked only slightly different from the surrounding ground. After they ate, Mabel led everyone around the Gravnemeta, pointing out all the traps and health stations.

Fenris noticed the sun beginning to sink lower in the sky, and tried to ignore the feeling of dread that began to gnaw at his insides. Mabel saw him trembling, and took his hand.

"I'm scared," he said low. "I don't want you, or anyone else hurt on account of me."

Mabel led him by the hand to a shadowed area under one of the large stones of the henge. She hugged him tightly, and breathed in his earthy scent.

"We'll be okay, Fen," she said softly. "We are  _so_  much more prepared for a fight now, and everyone is pitching in to help. Remember, we're doing this because you are a part of our family now. We love you." She bit her lower lip and smiled at him. " _I_ love you."

Fenris took a deep breath and nodded, then leaned in to press his lips against hers.

"Fenris?" called Beithe, from very nearby. He sprang back from Mabel, and they both attempted to look casual as she walked up to them.

"Sweetie, you need to leave soon," she said, ignoring their flaming cheeks. "And Mabel, you should get your armor on. It'll be sundown soon."

They both nodded, and made their way back to where Mabel had sat down her armor and glaive. Fenris helpd her lace up the various pieces of armor, and then stood back, staring at her in awe.

"You look like a warrior princess," he said, reaching out to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes. He swallowed, and looked at the sky. The sun would sink below the horizon soon. "Do I really have to go?"

Mabel nodded. "We all agreed yesterday—it's safest for you to hole up at the Mystery Shack. Your dad doesn't know you've taken human form yet, and we'd like to avoid him finding out if at all possible."

Someone cleared their throat behind Mabel and Fenris, and they turned, startled to see the entire group watching them.

"Sorry, Fenris, but you need to go now," said Dipper.

Fenris nodded, and attempted a smile. "Thank you all for—" The words caught in his throat.

Dipper grinned. "Bro, we're family. It ain't no thang."

Wendy snorted and elbowed Dipper. "Did you really just?"

Fenris took a deep breath and then suddenly pounced on Mabel, giving her one last tight hug. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

And then he blipped away—but not to the Mystery Shack. He couldn't bring himself to go so far from the battle, where all his friends were risking their lives on his account. He blipped to about fifty yards from the Gravnemeta, at most.

That way, if Mabel needed him, he'd be close by.

/

As the sun finally sank below the horizon, everyone moved to the positions that Mabel had assigned them, based on their fighting ability.

Soos, Melody, and Marcus were all armed with high-tech rocket axes from Ford's arsenal, while Harold gripped the electrified katana. They were positioned right up against the barricade.

Dan, Stan, and Ford were a bit further in, spaced out around the outer ring of the henge. Dan had forgone a rocket axe, preferring to use his own. Stan wielded his giant crossbow, armed with both electrified bolts, and cryo bolts that Ford had created. Ford, of course, had a trench coat full of weaponry at his disposal.

Wendy, Sirona, Cecil, and Grenda were positioned inside the outer ring of the henge. Wendy had her nature magic at her disposal, but she also chose to wield a small throwing axe. Sirona had a slingshot and a basket of sharp pebbles. Cecil had nothing but himself. Grenda held her maul at the ready, excited to try the rocket attachment that Ford had rigged to it on an actual creature. The rocket, when ignited, propelled her swing, making the impact much more forceful. She'd tried it earlier in the day, pounding a watermelon to pulp. It had been very satisfying.

At the inner ring of the henge, surrounding the giant oak itself, were Dipper, Mabel, Beithe, and Puck. The only one armed was Mabel, her wickedly sharp glaive held in one hand, its base planted against the ground. The rest were going to rely on their magic.

The sun was fully down. Minutes ticked by. Everyone was tense, prepared to be attacked at any moment.

Finally, Loki's smarmy baritone echoed throughout the Gravnemeta.

"Aw, did you guys decorate just for moi? I love the henge. Puck's work, right? He always _was_ good with henges."

Everyone's eyes darted around the clearing. Loki's voice seemed to be coming from everywhere. Mabel caught a flash of movement at the edge of her vision, up in the branches of the oak. She coughed to get Dipper, Puck, and Beithe's attention, and discretely pointed up at the branches overhead.

"So where's my boy?" Loki asked. "I know he's been here recently. I can smell him."

"He ran away," said Dipper. "You know how dogs be."

"He's  _not_  a dog," spat Loki. "He is Fenrir, the Great Wolf, destroyer of worlds."

"That's funny," said Puck, shrugging. "You almost sound  _proud_ of your crotch-spawn. Sorry to say, though—he sure looked like a puppy dog to me. Cute widdle guy."

"How about you show us Arden, before we discuss the puppy any more?" suggested Beithe. "You said you would trade her for him. Where is she?"

Loki's laugh had a hard edge to it. "Nope, that's not how it works, princess. I call the shots here. Now do as I say, and bring me my son."

Mabel scoffed, and looked to her brother. "Why, I do believe he's trying to tell us what to do on  _our_ turf."

Dipper shook his head. "The  _nerve_ ," he said dramatically.

Puck looked up into the branches of the tree, and met Loki's eyes. "How's about you come on down here, and settle this situation, trickster to trickster." He paused, and glanced at Dipper, before looking back up. "To trickster."

Loki laughed, and dropped gracelessly down onto one of the lower branches of the oak, where he sat and began swinging his legs. He produced a large bucket of popcorn, and shoved a handful in his mouth, before shaking his head.

"Nah. I think I'd rather unleash some ancient evil, and watch as it slaughters the  _mortals_  that you were stupid enough to bring here to fight. I mean, really?" He shoved another handful of popcorn in his mouth, chewed it noisily, and swallowed, before nodding his head and smiling.

"Boom."

A screeching roar split the night, as a tear opened in the air above the henge, and three beasts dropped to the ground, flailing. They looked similar to the demon Mabel had slain only yesterday, with thin, gray skin covering awkward, hyena-like bodies, metallic scaled lizard tails, and gnashing silver teeth—but they were each at least twice the size of Nasu.

Loki grinned like the Cheshire cat, and clapped his hands.

/

Mabel looked to Dipper. "Are you ready to Rumble?" she shouted over the roaring of the demons. Dipper grinned and nodded. He conjured a hand-held video game, turned it on, and pressed the buttons in a certain order. This is what he'd been busy doing earlier in the day—figuring out how to make Rumble McSkirmish portable, so they could bring him out only where and when they needed him. They needed him here and now.

The 8-bit character appeared, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Rumble, some bad monsters are trying to kill my friends. Will you help us?" Dipper asked.

Rumble frowned, as he continued to bounce. "You lied to me once before. How do I know you are not lying to me now?"

"Look!" cried Dipper, pointing toward the rampaging beasts. Wendy and Beithe were each attempting to wrap one in vines, having to stop and cut them loose whenever the black rot neared their hands. Puck was doing the moonwalk, attempting to lure one of the demons into following him, so that it would fall into one of the pit traps. Harold, Dan and Marcus ran at one of the monsters, screaming and waving their weapons, only to be knocked back. Soos and Melody helped them limp over to a health station. They splashed their faces, then the three of them stood straight, bellowed, and ran back into the fray. Sirona and Stan stood back to back, each attempting to shoot their preferred projectiles down the gaping maws of the demons whenever they roared. Grenda's rocket powered maul had become a bit much for her to handle, and she was screaming at it to stop as it crushed one of the standing stones to dust like a jackhammer. Ford was yelling at her to hit a certain button and turn the rocket off, but she couldn't hear him over the blows of maul against stone.

It was absolute chaos. Manic giggling echoed down from the tree above them.

"They  _are_  bad monsters," said Rumble, nodding his head. "I will help you."

"Thank you!" cried Dipper. "My sister will tell you which one to attack, and when—whatever you do, don't hit any of the people fighting. They're the good guys." With that he rushed into the battle, intent on helping Beithe and Wendy.

Rumble turned to Mabel. "What are my orders?"

Mabel pointed out which demon she wanted him to go after, shouting directions to her friends to focus on the others. She climbed up onto one of the standing stones, so she could survey the battlefield, to better direct the fighting.

Fenris heard everything. The roar of the demons as they fell into the Mundane had made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He wanted to be able to see what was happening, but he knew that if he could see into the clearing, there was a good chance that Loki could see him. He had to trust that his friends knew what they were doing.

He heard Mabel calling out orders, and made a mental note to tell her how proud of her he was when this was all over. He also planned to swallow his pride long enough to thank Arden for training Mabel so well. He didn't like the stuck-up goddess, but what she had taught Mabel was keeping Mabel safe.

Fenris grinned. It sounded like the battle was going in their favor. He heard cheering, and knew they had killed at least one of the demons.

Then his heart sank. He heard Mabel screaming. She wasn't shouting orders. She was shrieking in terror, and struggling, by the sound of it. Then the screaming stopped abruptly. Fenris didn't think—he ran back toward the Gravnemeta. He peered out from behind a tree, intent to size up the situation before running onto the battlefield.

One of the demons lay dead, one was being pummeled by a large, strange man made up of brightly-colored blocks, and most of the rest of the group were trying to fight off the third, led by Puck, who was lighting firecrackers and throwing them into its mouth. Dipper, Wendy, and Beithe were ignoring everything. They stood beneath the giant oak, and were staring up into its branches.

"Let her go!" cried Dipper, trying to climb the trunk of the tree. He hit it in frustration. He couldn't climb a tree with hooves.

Wendy and Beithe were snaking vines up the tree toward Loki, who was standing on a branch and smirking, holding Mabel's limp form over his shoulder.

"Ah-ah-ah," Loki chided the goddesses. "You want me to drop your friend, here? Because I will!"

Wendy and Beithe quickly withdrew their vines.

"That's what I thought," said Loki, smugly. Then he turned his face up, and called out loudly. "OH FENRIR!? FENNY-POO? I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE! I HAVE SOMEONE I CAN TELL IS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU—SERIOUSLY, WHAT HAVE YOU TWO BEEN UP TO? YOUR SCENT IS  _ALL_ OVER HER! I'M WARNING YOU—IF YOU DON'T COME OUT RIGHT NOW, I  _SWEAR_ I WILL GUT HER!"

A bubble of white-hot rage formed in Fenris's stomach. The heat spread throughout his body, like his veins ran with lava. He felt like he was going to spontaneously combust. He heard a strange crackling noise, and realized the grass at his feet was smoldering. He looked down at his trembling hands. They were glowing red from within. Flames suddenly leapt from his fingertips.

"I  _am_  destruction," he whispered fiercely. He smiled malevolently up at Loki, and strode boldly from hiding.

The demon that the block man had been fighting had finally destroyed its foe, and saw Fenris walking through the clearing alone—a prime target. It shrieked, and ran at him. Fenris spared the beast a casual glance as he continued toward the oak. He thrust his hand out to the side that the demon was running at him from, and with a flick of his wrist, he effortlessly launched a high-velocity fireball at it, which tore through the beast and exploded. The demon's body parts rained down around him as he continued walking forward.

He glanced in the opposite direction, to his friends struggling to take down the last demon.

"MOVE," he bellowed. His voice was harsh and almost unrecognizable. His friends scattered, and he launched a second fireball, dispatching the last demon with the same ease that he had the first.

Loki peered down, and squinted. He sniffed the air, and his eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Fenrir? I didn't know you could take human form. Hot damn!" He turned his head toward Mabel's limp form on his shoulder. "Then that must mean she's—oh, this is too good," he said, giggling. "Fenny-poo's in loooove," he sang.

Fenris stopped at the base of the oak. The grass under his feet smoldered. Dipper, Wendy, and Beithe all stared at him in shock. They had to take several steps back, due to the waves of heat rolling off of him.

"Let. Her. Go." Fenris said, glaring at his father, his eyes flashing red.

"Okay!" said Loki cheerfully. He shrugged Mabel off his shoulder, and she fell from the oak, her limp body hitting several large branches with sickening thwacks on the way down.

Fenris screamed. He ran for Mabel, but he wasn't close enough to catch her before she hit the ground. Luckily Dipper was quick enough to conjure a large air-filled cushion beneath her. She landed with a thud, her limbs splayed out like a rag doll's.

Something inside Fenris snapped. He leapt for the tree trunk, his now flaming hands and feet burning gouges into the bark as he climbed at impossible speed toward Loki.

"Hey, I only did what you asked," said Loki, chuckling nervously as Fenris pulled himself up onto the branch supporting his father.

Fenris growled low. He crouched down, then launched himself at Loki, grabbing his father by the throat. He could feel the flames from his fingers searing the flesh of Loki's neck. Loki's eyes wild, he grabbed at Fenris's hands, then hissed, as his fingers were scorched. He tried to back away, and his foot slipped. The shift of weight caused both father and son to lose their balance on the branch, and they fell, Fenris still holding fast to Loki's throat.

Fenris hit his head against a branch as he fell, and he felt his grip on Loki's throat loosen. Loki crowed in triumph, and just before Fenris hit the ground, he heard the flap of wings. His father had shape-shifted into a bird. He was going to get away.

The impact stunned Fenris. Then he remembered that Mabel had fallen, too. A surge of heat filled his chest, and he climbed out of the crater he'd caused when he landed, and stumbled over to where Mabel lay, still splayed out on the air cushion. It felt like forever, but barely more than a minute had passed since she fell. His friends were still trying to comprehend what had just happened.

A sob caught in Fenris's throat. He wanted to pick Mabel up and cradle her to his chest, but he didn't know how to "turn off" his newfound power. If he touched her, he'd surely burn her. Once again he was staring down at her pale, bloodied form, unable to do anything for her.

"Somebody  _help her_!" he screamed, his voice raw.

It was like a spell was broken and everyone snapped out of their daze at once. Ford and Sirona rushed forward to Mabel, skirting a wide path around the sweltering pocket of air that enveloped Fenris. Everyone's voices sounded muffled and distorted to him, like they were under water. He was able to make out Sirona yelling at someone sharply: "No, don't move her! Her neck might be broken!"

Fenris closed his eyes, and clenched his fists. He bit his lower lip until it bled, and tried to slow his panicked breathing. Mabel had to be okay. He loved her. She loved him. She  _had_  to be okay.

Fenris's eyes flew back open as he heard wings flapping overhead, and the faint rustle of leaves as a bird landed at the top of the giant oak. He stared up at the large, black bird, who confirmed his suspicions by cocking its head to the side and cawing loudly.

White-hot hatred flared behind Fenris's eyes, and he aimed a fireball at the bird. The bird dodged the flames, and cackled as it flew away.

Fenris glared after Loki. His father was going to pay.


	9. Chapter 9

Fenris didn't remember leaving the Gravnemeta. In fact, he didn't remember most of the night. All he knew was that he was in the middle of the woods, it was dawn, he hadn't slept, Mabel was hurt, and it was his fault.

He trudged slowly through the underbrush, snapping twigs and crushing dried pine needles to dust under his feet. He was no longer throwing off heat and spontaneously bursting into flame, but he wasn't sure that he'd actually "turned off" that power himself. It seemed to have slowly worn off on its own throughout the night. He could probably head back toward the Gravnemeta now that he knew he wouldn't accidentally set any of his friends on fire—but he was scared to.

Before Sirona had blipped Mabel back to Puck's house, she'd been talking about the possibility that Mabel's neck was broken, as well as the potential her head injuries had for causing brain damage, or a brain bleed, or—

Fenris shook his head violently, and a sob escaped his throat. He sank down onto a fallen log, and held his head in his hands, clutching at his mess of thick, black hair with shaking fingers. Then, the obvious struck him, and he smacked himself in the forehead. He didn't want to get on his sister's nerves by asking for another huge favor like when she gave Dipper a do-over, but this was Mabel. He loved her—and she had a knack for getting seriously injured. Fenris hoped Hel would understand why he'd want her to watch out for Mabel's soul, in case the unthinkable happened.

_Hel… Hel, are you there?_

He hadn't tried to mindspeak to his sister since taking human form. He wasn't sure if it would work the same. Since taking human form, he was no longer able to communicate telepathically with other gods. However, he hoped it would be different with his sister. After all, she had been able to mindspeak with him, when she also took human form...in a manner of speaking.

_Hel, please—if you can hear me, I need to know. I really need to talk to you._

Fenris waited for her familiar smooth voice to coat the ragged edges of his mind like a balm, but she didn't answer. He couldn't be sure, however, if she truly didn't hear him, or if she wasn't able to respond for some reason.

Fenris's shoulders sagged as he sighed, and wiped a tear absently from his cheek.

"Excuse me, are you lost?"

Fenris leapt to his feet and spun around, looking for the source of the voice. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. He had thought he was alone.

"I apologize for startling you, my friend," said the voice. "However, my appearance itself is startling to many, which is why I am hiding."

There was no malice in soft, slightly gruff voice. Fenris took a deep breath, and unclenched his fists.

"You can show yourself. I'm used to weird. My sister is one-half beautiful lady, one-half rotted corpse." Fenris paused, then added for clarification, "She's a goddess of death, so the corpse thing isn't just random..."

"Ah, so you are a god," the voice said. There was the sound of a large form pushing through the undergrowth, and a grizzly bear's head emerged. And another. And another. And so on.

Fenris blinked in surprise. "You must be the Multibear that Dipper speaks so highly of."

The Multibear nodded most of its heads. "I know Dipper and Puck, but I am not familiar with you."

"I'm Fenris. Well, Fenrir. Norse. Great Wolf. Destroyer, world-eater, blah, blah, blah," Fenris said, flapping a hand.

The Multibear stood on its haunches and raised quite a few eyebrows in surprise. "You don't appear to be a wolf. And you seem much less vicious than I would expect someone prophesied to destroy the world would be."

Fenris shrugged. "I'm not a fan of that prophecy. And I took human form to help protect..." Fenris felt his throat close around the words, and his eyes threatened to water over.

"Are you okay?" asked the Multibear, hesitantly.

Fenris nodded, then chuckled wetly, and looked down, shaking his head. "The person I took human form to protect—I keep getting them hurt instead. Now my dad (who is, as a rule, unstable and somewhat homicidal) knows who this person is, and how important they are to me. Unless I do what my dad wants, this person is going to be in constant danger."

"That's certainly a conundrum," said the Multibear thoughtfully. "What exactly does your dad want with you?"

Fenris smiled at the Multibear's largest head wryly. "You know that whole 'destroy the world' prophecy that I'm not so fond of? Well, he is fond of it. I'm fairly certain he wants me start doing what I'm 'meant to do.'"

"Oh, dear," murmured the Multibear. "So you think he will go after the person you're trying to protect until you do what he wants?"

Fenris crossed his arms over his chest. "I know he will. He's not the kind of guy you can talk sense into."

"What if you were able to convince him that this person is no longer important to you?" suggested the Multibear.

"I don't know how I'd do that," replied Fenris. "Other than leaving here. But I can't leave. I can't abandon my friends."

"It seems to me that you may have no other choice," said the Multibear softly. "If your protection is making this person a target, you need to stop protecting them."

Fenris frowned and opened his mouth to reply, then snapped it closed. The Multibear was right. All he was doing was making Mabel a target. He had to leave her.

Embers of rage began to form in Fenris's chest. He would leave Mabel. He had to. Until he was able to kill his father.

"Excuse me," said the Multibear quietly, "but you appear to be… smoldering?"

"Thanks for the talk," Fenris said, through gritted teeth. "I have to go now."

He tried to remain calm, and not burst into flame, as he made his way back toward Puck's house. He wanted to at least kiss Mabel goodbye.

/

Early morning light filtering in through the window woke Mabel up.

"What?" she muttered, sitting up with a splash. She looked at her surroundings and realized she was naked in Sirona's healing spring. Again. She didn't feel nearly as bad this time as she had when she'd woken up in the spring previously, so that was a plus. She honestly wasn't even sure why she had been placed in the spring at all.

A soft hiss to her left alerted Mabel to the presence of Cecil. The albino boa constrictor flicked its tongue at her.

"Yeah, well, nobody asked you, did they," said Mabel, sticking her tongue out back at him. She stood slowly, and stepped, dripping, onto the mossy banks of the indoor spring. She still felt fine. No aches or twinges. She shrugged, and padded softly over to the dresser against the wall, grabbed a terrycloth bathrobe from the top drawer, and wrapped it around herself. She stepped toward the door, then hopped back quickly as it opened.

"Mabel Pines, sit your butt down, missy," chided Sirona as she bustled in. She pointed to a stone bench next to the spring, and Mabel sat. "Cecil only just told me you woke up. I need to examine you before you go galavanting around."

Mabel laughed. "I wasn't planning on 'galavanting,' whatever that means. But I feel fine."

"I'll be the judge of that," muttered Sirona. She quickly examined her charge, moving Mabel's limbs, and running her hands over Mabel's scalp.

Finally Sirona stood back, and crossed her arms. "You're lucky. You only had a few bumps to the head, and a greenstick fracture of your tibia which mended in about two seconds after we got you in my spring here. Do you remember what happened?"

Mabel made a face. "Loki happened. He attacked me from behind, and when I struggled, he bopped me on the noggin. I guess he knocked me out. Is everyone else okay? Are all the demons dead? Did Loki get his ass handed to him?"

Sirona nodded. "You were the only one seriously injured, thanks to Fenris showing up when he did. The way he took out those demons—yeesh. Glad he was on our side. He looked like a demon himself."

"Wait, what? Fen was there?" cried Mabel, jumping to her feet. "He was supposed to stay at the Shack, where it was safe! Is he okay?"

Sirona pursed her lips. "He's uninjured. I'm not sure about okay, though. He was really shaken up by seeing you hurt."

"Do you know where he is? I need to—wait a second." Mabel cut herself off. "You just said Fenris 'took out those demons.' Do you mean  _by himself_?"

Sirona nodded. "I guess he isn't known as the Destroyer of Worlds for nothing. I'm not sure where he is, though. I haven't seen him since I blipped you here."

"Where is everyone else?" asked Mabel.

"Most went home after I assured them that you weren't as severely injured as I originally feared. I think Dipper, Wendy, and Beithe were going to stick around the Gravnemeta to keep an eye on things," answered Sirona. "As for you, I want to keep an eye on  _you_  for a couple hours. Then I can blip you home. I'll still want you to take a couple more days off Gravnemeta duty, though, just to be safe. You may be resilient, but you  _are_  mortal."

Mabel rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh, but nodded. "Fine,  _mom_."

Sirona grinned and chucked Mabel under the chin. "That's my girl. Now how 'bout you change back into your clothes (don't make that face, I  _washed_  them) and I'll fix us some breakfast?"

/

Dipper leaned against the inner circle of the henge, and stared at the blackened gouges going up the trunk of the giant oak.

"I still can't believe Fenris did that," he remarked.

"I told you he was a vicious beast," piped up the former Green Man, from the edge of the clearing.

"Shut up Harold," called out Wendy. "Nobody cares what you think." She and Beithe were gathering the remains of the demons Fenris had obliterated, to bury them in one of the pit traps.

"Wendy, be nice," said Beithe half-heartedly. She kicked a chunk of blackened entrails into the pit with a grimace. "That Fenris, though—he sure is full of surprises. You didn't know he could do the whole 'Firestarter' act, did you Dipper?"

Dipper reached down and picked up part of a partially melted metallic demon skull. He held it away from his body as he carried it to the pit.

"Did I know he could do  _this_? Uh, no. No I did not. I'm pretty sure he didn't either, or the first fight, with Nasu, would have been over in about two seconds." Dipper made a face as he tossed the bit of skull into the pit.

"He is unstable," said Harold. He strode to the edge of the pit and stared down at the blackened, melted, utterly destroyed remains of the two demons Fenris had dispatched. He looked up across the pit to Beithe and Wendy. "He was never meant to take human form. He does not know what he is capable of, or how to control his powers. I watched him as he left the Gravnemeta last night. He was still smoldering. He left a trail of burnt grass and scorched dirt in his wake."

"Look, I appreciate your need for drama, Gramps, but lay off Fenris, okay?" said Wendy, scowling. "We discussed this at the meeting yesterday. He's one of us. He's a good guy. The only reason he went Super Saiyan is because his dad threatened to kill Mabel."

"All the same, isn't it his affection for dear Mabel that put her in danger to begin with?" remarked Harold blandly. "Loki said he could smell his son 'all over her.' Whatever  _that_  means."

Dipper clenched his fists and turned to the former god standing next to him. "What exactly are you implying about my  _thirteen-year-old sister_?"

Harold raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not  _implying_  anything. Loki said Mabel stunk of Fenris. They have obviously been...close. But what your sister does with that mongrel is none of  _my_  concern."

" _What_ _the f_ _—_ " began Dipper, stepping toward Harold. He was cut off by Beithe, however, who trotted around the pit and grabbed her father's arm, yanking him away from the incensed trickster.

"Oookay, Dad, looks like it's time for me to blip you back to your campsite, before you get yourself kicked in the acorns," she said quickly. Without giving Harold had a chance to protest, she nodded to Dipper and Wendy, and father and daughter disappeared with a soft pop.

Wendy crossed to Dipper's side of the pit and pulled him into a tight hug. He was so angry he was shaking.

"Hey, dude, it's okay," she said, rubbing his back gently. "Don't listen to Harold. He's a douche. Mabel and Fenris cuddle in bed at night. They have since before he turned human. Of course she's going to smell like him. That doesn't mean—well, you know."

"I hope that's all," muttered Dipper. "I've trusted Fen. If he took advantage of Mabel..." Dipper trailed off. He didn't want to consider it.

"Speaking of taking advantage of," murmured Wendy, pulling back from Dipper slightly, and smiling at him mischievously. "You and Mabel are twins. You're thirteen as well."

Dipper huffed. "Our situation is different. I'm physically seventeen now, with the body and motherfucking libido of a satyr. And besides, we haven't been able to…" His cheeks flushed. "How's that birth-control spell coming, anyway?"

Wendy smirked. Her attempt to distract Dipper from his anger had worked perfectly.

"Oh, I'm still working on it," Wendy said casually. She pulled him away from the pit of gruesome demon remains, and pushed him against one of the standing stones of the henge. She pressed herself close against him, twining her fingers through his mop of brown curls. "Your hair is getting long," she said, as she laid her head on his shoulder. Her breath was warm on his neck.

"H-how much longer do you think," stammered Dipper. "Not-not my hair—but until we can..."

Wendy lifted her head and looked at Dipper, biting her lower lip. They hadn't really had any time to themselves in the past week, and she had forgotten how quickly her hormones ran away with her whenever she and Dipper got frisky.

"I honestly don't know," she said. Her mouth was so close to his that her lips brushed lightly against his when she spoke. "But I've been practicing every day. I promise, when I'm sure I've mastered the spell, you'll be the first to know."

Dipper grunted softly and pulled Wendy tightly against him, kissing her hungrily. He could feel her smiling as she kissed him back.

/

Mabel lounged on a beach towel in Puck's backyard, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her cheeks. Cecil lay curled up on the paving stones next to her, sunning himself as well. The weather was unusually mild for February. It was probably some nonsense to do with climate change, but she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment.

Mabel sighed contentedly, her hands clasped behind her head. She had nearly dozed off, when the sharp snap of a twig being stepped on startled her into sitting up. Fenris stood a few feet from her. His clothes were scorched in places, and a bit of soot and dried blood was smeared across his cheeks. His normally pale skin was nearly translucent, and vivid, dark purple circles stood out under his eyes. He was staring at Mabel with a sad smile.

"Fen!" she cried, leaping to her feet. He quickly closed the distance between them, and threw his arms around Mabel, burying his face in her shoulder.

"You're okay," he said, his voice muffled against her sweater. "I didn't know if—Sirona said you might—but you're okay."

Mabel's shoulder was getting wet. "I'm fine, Fenris. Are  _you_  okay?" she asked, pulling back so she could see his face. His irises were the dark gray color of the sky before a thunderstorm, and tears were leaving damp tracks through the blood and soot on his cheeks.

Fenris took a shuddering breath. "My dad almost killed you, Mabel," he said softly, touching her face. "And it was my fault."

Mabel frowned. She sat back down on the beach towel, and patted the spot next to her. Fenris sank down stiffly, his knees cracking. Mabel glanced at Cecil, who hadn't moved. She poked him with a finger.

"Hey, Cease, think you can give us a little privacy?"

The snake lifted his head, and looked at Fenris. He let out a slow hiss, like he was sighing, then flicked his tongue at Mabel, before slithering off toward the other end of the yard.

"Thank you!" called Mabel. She turned back to Fenris, and her grin faded. "So Sirona wouldn't go into detail about everything that happened, but she said  _you_  took out the last two demons by yourself last night? Care to, uh, tell me about that?"

Fenris looked down. "I know I was supposed to go back to the Mystery Shack, but I was worried about you. About everyone. I wanted to be nearby in case I was needed. And I'm glad I stayed… how much do you remember after Loki attacked you?"

Mabel twisted her hands in her lap. "Not much. I tried to fight against him, but he knocked me out pretty quickly."

Fenris nodded. "Well, the reason he targeted you, Mabel, is apparently because he could smell me on you. It probably didn't help that we had spent all the night before and half that day in each other's arms. And… kissing," he added, his cheeks flushed. "Because you smelled so strongly of me, he came to the conclusion that I must be in love with you."

Fenris chuckled softly, and reached out to take one of Mabel's hands in his. "I mean, he's not wrong. But he carried you over his shoulder, up into the branches of the giant oak. He called out that if I didn't come forward, he was going t-to 'gut' you." He squeezed Mabel's hand tightly, and continued. "Loki isn't one to make idle threats, Mabel. If I had gone back to the Mystery Shack like we planned, I wouldn't have heard him, and he—he would have killed you."

Mabel swallowed hard. "Oh. Well, I'm definitely not mad at you for not following the plan, then. So, you came forward. Is that when you killed the demons? How did you manage that? It took  _five_  of us to be able to take down Nasu, and these ones were bigger!"

Fenris shifted uncomfortably, and scratched the back of his head. "When my dad threatened to kill you, I became more angry than I think I've ever been. I didn't even do it on purpose, but I kind of...caught fire? Apparently, in human form, I can throw fireballs. Explodey ones. One fireball each was all it took to end the demons."

Mabel leaned back and whistled. "Now that will be a useful skill to have guarding the Gravnemeta," she said, nodding.

Fenris met Mabel's eyes, then shook his head and looked away, his features pinched. "Mabel, my dad was going to kill you. He actually tried. After I came out of hiding and killed the demons—that's when Loki realized I'd taken human form, and that you were my human lover. I yelled at him to let you go." Fenris clenched his jaw before continuing. "I should have remembered to watch my wording with him. He did let you go. He dropped you. From the top of the giant oak. If Dipper hadn't thought quickly enough to conjure a big, inflated cushion thing under you, you'd be—Mabel, I almost got you killed."

Fenris gritted his teeth and tried not to cry. Mabel was quiet for a moment, then scooted closer to him, and placed a hand on his thigh.

"Fen, it sounds like he had planned to drop me anyway," she said quietly. "He's a nasty piece of work. It's not your fault he tried to kill me. And anyway, he didn't succeed. You're feeling guilty over nothing."

Fenris scooted away from Mabel, and drew his knees up to his chest, resting his forehead on them, his face obscured from view.

"You don't get it, Mabel," he said, his throat tight. "He targeted you because he smelled me on you. He knows I love you. Loki will do anything to get his way. He wants me to join him in destroying the world, and he'll go after the people I love until I do. He's got you in his cross-hairs."

"Oh," said Mabel, her voice small. "But you took out those two demons easy-peasy… so if you're here with me—"

Fenris banged his forehead lightly against his knees. "I don't know how to control that new power, though. And it's dangerous. It took all night for me to stop accidentally setting fire to nearby foliage. After you got hurt, I couldn't touch you to help you, because I would have burned you." He sniffled. "Besides, Loki wouldn't care that I was nearby to protect you. In fact, he'd probably think it was fun to torment me by attacking you in front of me."

Mabel and Fenris sat in silence for several minutes, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally Mabel spoke.

"So what does this mean? What are your options?"

Fenris swallowed and lifted his head to meet Mabel's gaze. "I have to leave. I can't stay in Gravity Falls. I can't even stay in this realm. Loki needs to think that you're no longer important to me."

/

The back door to Puck's house flew open, banging loudly against the wall. Fenris and Mabel, who had been sitting on a beach towel, holding each other, flew apart and jumped to their feet, startled. Puck strode toward them, his hands on his hips, and his brow between his ram horns creased in worry. Sirona followed closely behind him, her arms folded over her chest, the smile absent from her normally cheerful face.

"What's wrong?" asked Mabel, her heart dropping. "Is the Gravnemeta under attack again?"

Puck shook his head in the negative, and looked to Sirona. As she stepped forward, Cecil slithered up to her. She picked the heavy snake up effortlessly, and draped him over her shoulders. She rubbed his head, and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I'm sorry, Mabel… I don't know any easier way to say this: Arden is dead."

"Wh-what?" Mabel blanched, and staggered as if she'd been punched. Fenris wrapped his arm around her waist, and she leaned against him to steady herself.

"My contacts found where Loki had been keeping her," Puck said sourly. "Apparently she'd been dead for awhile. As in, that bastard most likely killed her immediately after delivering his ultimatum two days ago. He never intended to trade her for you, Fenris."

Tears spilled down Mabel's cheeks, and her chin trembled as she spoke. "Why would he do that, though? I don't understand!"

Puck, raised an eyebrow at her. "What's to understand, kid? He's fucking batshit crazy."

Sirona smacked Puck on the arm. "Seriously? Be nice, ass. We just told her that her friend and mentor is dead."

"So… does this mean that the Green Realm will go to war with the Norse Realm?" asked Fenris quietly.

Puck shrugged. "That's up to Antlers McGee. She was his sister, and he's kind of in charge now. He's been told, but he said he needs more information before making a decision regarding war with another realm."

Fenris frowned. "What kind of 'information' does he need?"

"I need to know where my sister's soul is being held," said Cernunnos. He had quietly blipped in, and was standing behind Mabel and Fenris. Startled, they spun around to face him. He glowered at Fenris, making no attempt to hide his dislike for the Norse god of destruction.

"She is not in Annwn, or any of the lesser Celtic, Gaulish, or Pictish dead realms, as she should be," the Lord of the Hunt continued. "Arawn has personally checked them all for me."

Fenris met Cernunnos's glare stoically. "So you think she's in one of the Norse dead realms?"

Cernunnos nodded. "As you claim to be on 'our side,' I require you to accompany me to Helheim. Arawn has told me of his difficulties dealing with Hel in the past. As her brother, I am hoping you can gain her cooperation. If Arden's soul is not in Helheim, Hel may be at least able to help us locate it. And if her soul  _is_  in Helheim, I want to know  _why_."

Fenris glanced at Mabel, before sighing and nodding. He had wanted to speak to Hel anyway. "Fine. When do you want to go?"

Cernunnos reached forward, and grasped Fenris's shoulder. "Right now," he said.

With a soft pop, Fenris and Cernunnos disappeared.

In shock, and suddenly unbalanced, since she had been leaning on Fenris, Mabel clumsily fell to the side. Sirona darted forward and caught her before she could hit the ground.

Mabel clung to the goddess, and sobbed.


	10. Chapter 10

Mabel sat at the kitchen table in the Mystery Shack, a steaming mug of hot cocoa rapidly cooling in front of her. Wendy and Dipper sat across from her, exchanging worried looks. Dipper had seen his sister upset before, but she was usually melodramatic about it, retreating into "Sweater Town," or crying loudly. Basically, Mabel wore her emotions on her sleeve.

Dipper had never seen her like this, however. Her skin was pale, tinged with gray. Her hair hung limply around her face, her lips were pinched together in a thin line, and her eyes looked dull and lifeless. The spark of mischief that normally burned behind them was gone. This girl was a husk of Mabel Pines.

"So Cernunnos didn't even give you a chance to say goodbye?" asked Dipper, picking up a thread of their earlier conversation. "He just grabbed Fenris and blipped off?"

Mabel didn't look up. She simply nodded her head.

"Maybe they'll be back soon," suggested Wendy, trying to sound cheerful. "It can't take too long to blip to Helheim and ask about Arden, right? I bet he'll be back before you know it!"

Mabel didn't respond to Wendy. She hadn't told them about Fenris's plan to protect her by leaving the Mundane entirely. It hurt too much to say the words out loud. She was fairly certain that he wouldn't be back.

"I know it's still early, but I was injured and all, so I'm tired," said Mabel finally, without making eye contact with her brother or Wendy. "I'm going to bed now."

Dipper elbowed Wendy, and she stood up from her chair at the same time as Mabel. "How about we have a sleepover, Mabel?" she said, sounding too peppy to be convincing.

Mabel finally looked up and locked eyes with Wendy. "No, thank you," she said quietly. "I'm not in the mood for company right now."

Mabel turned her back on Dipper and Wendy, and slowly made her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom. They heard her door open, then shut with a decisive click.

/

Dipper and Wendy strode through the twilit woods at a leisurely pace. They held hands, their fingers intertwined tightly.

"I know she's upset about losing Arden, and that Fenris was yanked away so suddenly, but I have  _never_  seen Mabel this..." Dipper wracked his brain to find the right word. "This  _dejected_. It's like she's just completely given up. She wasn't even crying. She's a crier, Wendy. I'd actually feel less unsettled about her if she ran up to her room sobbing uncontrollably. I know how to handle that Mabel. I have no idea how to help her now."

Wendy squeezed his fingers. "I don't know, dude. I know that you want to make everything better for her as quick as possible, being her brother and all—but she's dealing with a lot of heavy shit right now. She probably needs time to process everything."

Dipper sighed. "You're probably right. I just hate seeing her like this. Do you think maybe it would help if we got your mom to talk to her? Beithe and Arden used to be really close, right?"

Wendy nodded. "Yeah. That's a good idea. I'll ask my mom tonight."

The couple continued through the woods in amicable silence. Twilight fell into dusk, and soon they were engulfed in darkness.

Wendy felt a tug at her hand, and realized that Dipper had stopped walking. She dropped his hand and turned back to his shadowed silhouette.

"What's up, Dip?"

Dipper was silent for a moment, and then let out a shaky breath. "I just… I'm really overwhelmed, I guess. Like—is anything ever going to be okay again? Is being a god ever going to feel normal? One day I'll look at Mabel and realize she's a woman, not a girl anymore. And she'll keep aging. And she'll die. And I'll be apart from her forever after." His throat closed around the words, and tears began to slip down his cheeks.

Wendy reached out and touched his face, wiping his tears away with her thumb.

"I'm sorry, Dipper," she said softly. "Maybe we can convince an elder god to make her a goddess? I mean, you're technically an elder god, so you could even do it, right?"

Dipper sniffed and shook his head. He stepped toward Wendy and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm not nearly ready to do that big of a working," he said. "I can't even make myself look human yet. Besides, to become a goddess, she'd have to consent. She hasn't seemed too keen on becoming immortal."

"Well, we'll have to find a god willing to turn her, and then convince her to accept," said Wendy pragmatically, rubbing his back. "Everything will be okay, Dipper. I promise."

Dipper nestled his face into the crook of Wendy's neck, and whispered "Don't make promises you can't keep."

Wendy inhaled sharply. Whether he meant to or not, Dipper's warm breath on her neck was sending waves of pleasure down her spine. She bit her lip, and closed her eyes, reaching up to run her fingers through Dipper's tangle of curls.

"You want a promise I can keep?" murmured Wendy. "I love you, goat boy, and I promise that I will keep loving you until the end of time."

"I like that promise," Dipper said quietly. He placed a gentle kiss on her neck, and could feel her pulse pounding beneath his lips. Despite being upset about Mabel, Dipper's satyr libido took over, and he pushed Wendy up against a nearby tree, and pressed himself against her.

"I promise that I'll always think of your pleasure before my own," he mumbled hotly against her mouth.

"Oh yeah?" said Wendy playfully. "Prove it."

Dipper groaned and began sucking and lightly biting at Wendy's neck. His hands traced the outline of her body, stopping at her hips. He fumbled momentarily with the button and zipper on her jeans, before sliding his hand down the front of her panties.

"Wh-what are you doing?" breathed Wendy. One of her hands was above her head, clutching at the tree trunk, while the other gripped Dipper's hair tightly.

Dipper pulled away from her neck, and although Wendy couldn't see him smiling wickedly at her in the darkness, she could hear it in his voice. "I'm proving it," he said, before pressing his mouth into hers, and kissing her fiercely, cutting off her whimpers of pleasure.

Muffled moans echoed through the dark woods, finally punctuated by a shrill cry of ecstasy.

/

Although Fenris had mind-spoken with Hel many times, he'd never been down to Helheim to visit her. He followed Cernunnos silently through a cold mist, sniffing with curiosity. The sickly sweet smell of rotting things seemed to permeate the air.

Cernunnos turned his head slightly when he heard Fenris sniff. "You're not  _crying_ are you?" he asked with a sneer.

"Not at the moment," said Fenris with a shrug. Cernunnos clearly didn't like him, but Fenris couldn't give two shits about what the antlered god thought of him.

They fell back into silence, and Fenris continued to follow a few steps behind Cernunnos, who seemed to know exactly where he was going, even though the mist shrouded everything.

After an hour trudging through the opaque fog, Fenris spoke up. "Your blip wasn't very accurate, was it?"

Cernunnos shrugged, and kept walking. "Seeing as I've never been to Helheim before, it wasn't too bad."

"If you've never been here before, how do you know where you're going, then?"

"I'm homing in on the most powerful godly presence nearby," said Cernunnos, his tone snide. "What, do you not know how to do that?"

Fenris rolled his eyes, and grunted noncommittally. He actually  _didn't_  know how to do that, but he didn't want to give Cernunnos the satisfaction of that knowledge.

After several more minutes of walking, Fenris noticed light faintly shining through the shimmering white mist. Cernunnos noticed as well, and stopped walking. He turned to Fenris and gestured for the Norse god to step in front of him.

"Just in case she's in the mood to smite," explained Cernunnos. "I'm hoping the sight of her brother will stop any smiting from taking place. If not, at least you'll take the brunt of the smiting rather than me."

"Great," said Fenris. "I get to be your bodyguard." He pushed past Cernunnos, and continued walking toward the lights.

The closer they got to the lights, the more the mist seemed to dissipate. Finally Fenris was able to see the outline of a building. He narrowed his eyes as he walked toward it, a single eyebrow rising in confusion.

"That's a... cute little house," he said, mostly to himself. The small, pink cottage was surrounded by a white picket fence, and its window boxes were full of colorful, blooming flowers. Fenris turned to Cernunnos. "Hel lives here?"

Cernunnos wore a bemused smile. He held his palms up and shrugged. "Arawn told me she lived in a very human habitat, but I honestly didn't expect this."

"Huh," said Fenris, turning back toward the house. He caught a glimpse of movement through one of the windows. "I think she knows we're here."

As if on cue, the front door of the cottage flew open. Hel drew herself up to her full height, the beautiful side of her face giving the trespassers an icy glare. The decayed side of her face sagged, its expression inscrutable, if it was even making one. It simply looked grotesque. Fenris had never met Hel face to face. She had explained her appearance to him during one of their many conversations, but hearing about, and seeing it, were two drastically different experiences.

"Who are you?" Hel demanded.

"I am Cernunnos, of the Green Realm," said the Lord of the Hunt, pushing past Fenris, seemingly satisfied that there would be no immediate smiting.

"I  _know_ who you are," said Hel, with a frown. "I've been expecting you. But this one," she said, pointing a bony, decayed finger at Fenris. "I do not recognize him, yet he is very familiar."

"Hello, sister," said Fenris, with an awkward wave. "I'm probably a lot less furry than you pictured me."

Hel leaned forward and peered closely at Fenris with her good eye.

"Fen? I know you've been in the Mundane realm, but I wasn't told you'd taken human form! That explains why I haven't been able to get in touch with you." Hel turned and called over her shoulder. "You said he was in puppy form!"

A familiar female voice called back from inside the cottage. "Well last time I saw him, he  _was_  in puppy form!"

"Arduinna!" cried out Cernunnos, his smarmy public persona forgotten the moment he heard his sister's voice. "Please, let her go! Allow her to rest in Annwn where she belongs!"

"I have no intention of keeping her from the rest she deserves," snapped Hel. " _She_ sought  _me_  out. Come into my home. We have much to discuss."

/

Mabel sat on the edge of her bed, staring into space. The room steadily grew darker, because she hadn't bothered to turn on the light. She barely noticed. She had cried herself out on Sirona's shoulder earlier in the day. Now she was numb. Well, nearly. Every now and then the thought that Arden was dead, or that she may never see Fenris again resurfaced, and she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her—she became lightheaded and struggled to breathe.

It hurt too much to think about, so Mabel tried to empty her mind. Eventually her eyelids began to grow heavy, and she lay down. She instinctively reached out to pull Fenris close to her, and her hands clutched at air.

Mabel gasped as if she had been punched, clenched her eyes tightly shut, and pressed her fist against her mouth, trying to suppress a wail. She attempted to swallow back the lump in her throat.

"I can't do this," she whispered to no one. She got off her bed and turned on the light so she could see to put her armor on. She decided that she would take her glaive out to the Gravnemeta and practice the drills that Arden had taught her. Emptying her mind didn't work, so maybe having to completely focus on something would distract her from the hollow feeling in her chest.

Mabel finished donning her armor and grabbed her glaive from the corner of her room. She padded quietly down the stairs, not wanting Soos or Melody to notice she was going out, and start asking annoying questions like: "Are you okay?"

Because no. She wasn't okay. And she didn't want to talk about it.

She trotted through the darkened woods, following the familiar path to the Gravnemeta without having to think about it. At one point she paused, because she heard what sounded like a woman crying out. However, it didn't happen again. Mabel shrugged, and continued on her way. It was probably a mountain lion. Mountain lions made weird noises at night.

When she reached the Gravnemeta, she was momentarily surprised to see her Grunkles there, sitting in lawn chairs around a small fire. In her grief over Arden and Fenris, she had forgotten that the Gravnemeta still needed to be guarded constantly, and that it was Stan and Ford's turn for the night shift.

"Oh," she said, stopping short at the edge of the clearing. "Hi."

"Hey kiddo. Whatcha doing out here?" asked Stan. His gruff voice was unusually gentle.

"Yeah, I thought Sirona said you needed to take a couple days off from guard duty," said Ford, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm fine," mumbled Mabel. "And I'm not here to guard. I just wanted to get some practice in. I don't want to get rusty."

Stan and Ford exchanged glances, but Mabel couldn't read their faces in the flickering glow of the fire.

"Okay, just take it easy, sweetie," said Stan.

Mabel nodded, and moved to an open area of the clearing. She began her practice drills, willing herself to concentrate on her technique and form, and not let her mind wander.

Stan and Ford watched her from their lawn chairs, matching expressions of concern creasing their brows.

"She's really taking Arden's death hard," observed Ford.

"I feel like we should… comfort her?" said Stan. "Only, maybe not while she's spinning around that giant pig-sticker."

"Well," said Ford, grunting as he leaned over and grabbed a Pitt Cola from the cooler between their chairs, "I never got to know Mabel quite as well as you did… but isn't she pretty free with sharing her emotions? I think if she wanted a shoulder to cry on, she'd let us know."

Stan sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "You're probably right, Poindexter. At least, I hope you're right. Mabel's a sweet kid, and she's had a rough go of it lately."

Ford nodded as he swallowed a sip of his drink. "That, she has," he agreed.

They sat in silence, and watched on as their great-niece took out her pent up emotions on invisible enemies. At some point they both accidentally nodded off.

Eventually, Stan let out a snore so loud that he woke himself up. He turned to see Ford sitting with his head sagging onto his shoulder, a strand of drool dripping from his open mouth. He kicked Ford in the shin. Ford awoke with a start, and jumped out of his chair, quickly pulling a large caliber pistol from inside of his trench coat.

"Who's attacking?" he hissed.

"No one, dingus," muttered Stan. "We both fell asleep, it's almost dawn, and Mabel's still over there swingin' around that pig-sticker. How's she still going?"

"I have no idea," said Ford, sounding simultaneously impressed and worried, as he tucked the gun back into his coat.

Stan stood stiffly, and shuffled toward Mabel. He stopped well out of range of her glaive.

"Uh, Mabel?" he called out hesitantly.

Hearing her name seemed to snap Mabel out of a trance. She whirled around to face Stan. She was tomato red, and completely covered in a slimy sheen of sweat, strands of her long hair sticking to her face. She blinked, as if confused to see her Grunkle standing before her. Then she wobbled on her feet.

"Talk later, Grunkle Stan," she said, her speech slightly slurred. "I'm tired."

As the first hint of dawn began to lighten the sky, Mabel sank to the ground, completely physically exhausted, and curled up to sleep on the dewy grass, clutching her glaive like a teddy bear.

/

Fenris followed Cernunnos through the door of the cottage, shutting it behind him. His vision was immediately obscured by a mass of coal black hair, as Hel pulled him into a tight hug.

"It is so good to finally see you and put a face to your voice. Well, your mind-voice, that is," amended Hel as she released him and stepped back to give her brother a proper look.

Fenris grinned. "And it's nice to put half a face to your voice," he said with a chuckle.

Hel rolled her good eye. "You always were a smart-ass. I'm glad at least that hasn't changed." She glanced across the room to where Cernunnos and a very transparent Arden were talking quietly. "So that's Cernunnos? He's the one who killed your friend Dipper, right?"

Fenris nodded. "I'm definitely not fond of the guy. But now our  _father_  went and kidnapped and murdered his sister. I kinda feel sorry for him...and I don't like it. Thanks a lot,  _dad_ ," he said, saying father and dad like they were dirty words.

Hel sighed. "Yeah. About that." She placed a hand on his shoulder and steered him toward Cernunnos and the late Arden. "You should probably sit down."

Fenris bit his lower lip, and sat down on Hel's overstuffed sofa. She sat next to him, while Cernunnos and Arden sat in armchairs set at a ninety degree angle to the sofa. The group was quiet for several moments, because everyone was waiting for someone else to start the conversation.

Fenris finally spoke up. "Uh, so why are you here, Arden?" He paused. "I mean, besides being dead. Why did you come to Hel?"

Arden smiled wryly. "Tactful, as always. I came here because your daddy is insane, and he's playing with fire by releasing ancient demons to fight for him. Before he killed me, he told me his plans. They involve you."

Fenris leaned back into the sofa cushions, and folded his hands over his stomach. "Let me guess—he wants me to destroy the world?"

Hel chuckled darkly. "I wish it was that simple. He wants you to destroy  _all_ the worlds."

Cernunnos frowned. "But the Ragnarok cycle is supposed to be strictly within the Norse realm!"

Fenris raised an eyebrow at the Lord of the Hunt. "Um, Ragnarok  _cycle_? Ragnarok is a one time deal. You know, the end of the world and whatnot?"

Cernunnos smirked. "Hel, you should probably be the one to tell him."

Fenris turned to his sister, his eyes narrowed. "Tell me  _what_?"

The good side of Hel's face burned crimson. "You have to understand, I haven't kept this from you out of malice—I've had to keep it from  _everyone_."

Fenris glared at her without speaking, waiting for her to continue.

"Ragnarok has happened before," Hel said. "Many, many times before. The prophecies about it aren't so much prophecies, as stories."

Fenris cocked his head to the side. "Yeah, you'd think I'd remember something like that."

Hel shook her head. "You wouldn't. All the gods killed during Ragnarok are born into the new cycle with no memory of the previous one. Those of us who survive have kept the cycle a secret from our brethren ever since the disaster of the very first Ragnarok."

"Our brethren," murmured Fenris. He glanced to Cernunnos. "But gods from other realms are aware that our apocalypse is cyclical?"

Cernunnos smirked at him. "Yes, we are. After your lot nearly destroyed the Mundane during the first Ragnarok, some of us from other realms met with the Norse survivors to ensure that the next time it happened, the damage would be minimized, and only affect your own realm."

Fenris looked at his hands. He had unintentionally curled them into tight fists. He stretched his fingers out, and looked up at Hel.

"So everyone really  _does_ have a reason to fear me, then," he said. It was a statement, not a question.

Hel sighed, and reached out to pat her brother's hand. "You have never been bad, Fen. Not in any of the cycles before, nor now. But you are a force of destruction. Even gods fear destruction."

"Well, now that I know about the cycle, I just won't participate this time," said Fenris, defiantly.

"It's not quite that simple," said Arden. The look of loathing she normally saved for Fenris was replaced with something akin to pity. "Once set in motion, the cycle of Ragnarok cannot be stopped. And Puck, as Bacon, in freeing you from your bonds, either unwittingly or not, has set this cycle of Ragnarok in motion."

Fenris shook his head. "No. I don't want to destroy the world!" The bile rose in his throat. Destroying the world would mean destroying Mabel.

"Well, you won't actually be destroying the Mundane," said Cernunnos. "I mentioned that after the Mundane was thrown into chaos by the first Ragnarok, gods from other realms met with your survivors—the Midgard you  _now_ destroy along with your realm isn't the Mundane. The first time it was, but after that, a pocket realm was created to be your Midgard. The humans who live there do not know they aren't really in the Mundane. They also do not know that they are effectively immortal. They are reborn into the pocket Migard after every Ragnarok, just as the Norse gods are reborn—with no memory of their previous lives."

Fenris glanced at Hel. "Okay, so dad is crazy and wants to destroy everything… and he wants me to help him. I won't help him. In fact, I'm kind of in the mood to kill him, after everything he's done. Especially now that he's targeting Mabel. But I'm also not going to destroy the pocket Midgard and the rest of the Norse realm to complete this cycle of Ragnarok. The prophecy says I die. I don't want to die."

Arden let out a soft cough. "Well, that's also kind of why I'm here. I came to explain to Hel that Ragnarok  _must_ happen, and soon."

Cernunnos crossed his arms. "Why  _must_ it happen, sister? It doesn't effect us. If Loki is the problem, perhaps some of the gods of Asgard will assist us in capturing him and re-binding him."

Arden sighed. She stood and began to pace in front of the sofa. "Because the Mundane—the  _actual_  Mundane is at risk, and the Gravenemeta, doubly so. The almost-apocalypse that Mabel and her friends refer to as "Weirdmageddon" that happened in the Mundane last year is what caused the realms to shift, making the Gravnemeta the nexus point where the realms meet, rather then the Green Realm, where it is supposed to be. Only an equally cataclysmic event can shift the realms back into their proper places. Until that happens, creatures from any realm can easily access the mundane."

Arden paused and made eye contact with Fenris. "Unless Ragnarok shifts the realms, Mabel will be in constant danger, whether or not Loki is bound, or even dead. I know you care for her a great deal, Fenris. I may not particularly like you, but I can see that she does. If you want her to ever be safe again, Ragnarok  _must_  happen."

Fenris stood, his eyes wildly darting to and fro between the other three gods in the room. "No—but in Ragnarok, I  _die_! And—and you said if I die I'll be reborn without my memories! I won't remember any of the friends I've made—I won't remember Mabel!"

Arden walked forward and placed a hand on Fenris's shoulder. "I know it is difficult. Mabel is very special. But would you rather she constantly be in harm's way? Because if the realms don't shift, she will be."

Fenris looked at his feet and shook his head, tears pricking at his eyelids. He loved Mabel. He'd sacrifice anything for her. Even himself, and his memories of their time together.

Hel cleared her throat. "Actually, seeing as this Ragnarok cycle is already highly irregular due to Puck's meddling, perhaps we can change the events a bit, while still causing the realms to shift. What if, Fenris, you had someone with you to watch your back—to try and keep you alive through Ragnarok?"

Fenris bit his lip. "I'll take any help you can give me, Hel. Anything to ensure Mabel's safety, while still being able to remember her, and hopefully be with her again."

Hel smiled. "Very good. It just so happens that someone owes me a favor, and promised they would do  _anything_  I asked. I am going to call in that favor now. Dipper Pines will venture with you into the Norse realm, and will be tasked with keeping you alive through the end of Ragnarok."


	11. Chapter 11

It was early morning when Fenris blipped back from Helheim to the Gravnemeta. There was a nip in the air, but the weak post-dawn sunlight was beginning to warm things up. Fenris had chosen to blip to the Gravnemeta first, because he knew it was Wendy and Dipper's turn to take the day shift, and he wanted to talk to Dipper privately about his conversation with Cernunnos, Arden, and Hel, before breaking the news to Mabel.

He scanned the clearing, and spotted Dipper and Wendy, standing shoulder to shoulder, staring down at something on the ground. He trotted toward them.

"Hey, Dipper, I need to talk to you about something," he said as he reached the couple. Then he saw what they were staring at, and he gasped. Mabel was lying motionless in the dew-covered grass, dressed in her leather armor, and holding her glaive. Her skin was unnaturally pale, with a gray tinge to it.

"Mabel!" he cried, his throat tightening around her name.

Dipper and Wendy whirled around to face him. "Don't panic, Fen," said Dipper, holding his hands out. "It's not what it looks like."

"Yeah, dude, no need to go super-saiyan," added Wendy. Her attempt to lighten the mood failed, and she took a step away from Fenris. There was fire behind his eyes.

Fenris felt embers flaring to life in his chest. He pushed past Dipper and knelt next to Mabel. "What is it, then?" he asked, his voice low. He touched Mabel's cheek with the back of his hand. She was ice cold, but her chest rose and fell steadily. He ran the pad of his thumb gently over her lips, and Mabel let out a soft sigh.

Satisfied that Mabel was neither dead, nor dying, Fenris rose to his feet, and turned back toward Dipper and Wendy. He crossed his arms.

"Well?"

"She was like this when we got here a little while ago to relieve the Stans," said Dipper, carefully. "Apparently she was out here all night, doing drills with her glaive. Grunkle Stan said he and Ford accidentally fell asleep, or they would have stopped her sooner. They woke up just before dawn, and she was still going. Stan said when he tried to talk to her, she collapsed, and fell asleep."

"They told us not to wake her," added Wendy. "Just to leave her be."

Fenris frowned. "Couldn't you have at least conjured her a blanket, Dipper? She's freezing."

Dipper had the decency to look ashamed. "I didn't even think of that. Wow. I'm an idiot." He awkwardly knelt down next to Mabel, and a large, heavy down comforter appeared folded in his arms. He draped it gently over his sleeping twin before standing back up.

"Now what was it that you needed to talk to me about?" asked Dipper. "Did you and Antlers find Arden? Or her soul, I guess?"

Fenris nodded. "I need to talk with you privately, Dipper."

"Privately? That can't be good!" joked Dipper, grinning. His grin faded when Fenris didn't show any sign of humor.

"Walk with me." Fenris reached out and placed a hand Dipper's shoulder, steering him toward the treeline.

"Okay, cool, I guess I'll just hang out here with Sleeping Beauty," Wendy called out toward their backs, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She heaved a sigh, and flopped down on the grass next to Mabel.

Once they were under the cover of the trees, Fenris sat on a fallen log, and indicated for Dipper to do the same. Dipper folded his arms over his chest and shook his head. Fenris's serious demeanor was beginning to make him uneasy. He leaned back against a tree trunk, and stared down his nose at his friend.

"Okay, doggo, out with it. What's wrong. You're acting like someone died."

Fenris cocked his head to the side, looking very like his old canine self for a moment. "Someone...did...die? Arden?"

"Oh, right," muttered Dipper. "But you found her ghost, right? So that's good!"

Fenris sighed. "Dipper, remember when you died and met my sister?"

Dipper snorted. "Uh yeah, she's not an easy one to forget," he said, patting the left side of his face and grimacing.

Fenris nodded. "Right. So, before she sent you back up into your body, what did she say to you?"

"Um," said Dipper. "She said she might want me to perform a favor for her some day, and asked me to promise that I would, in exchange for sending me back."

Fenris's nostrils flared, and he frowned. "You didn't think that making a deal with the Norse goddess of death is maybe something you should have mentioned to me when you got back into your body?"

Dipper shifted his weight from hoof to hoof, and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Honestly, no. I was just happy to be not-dead. I didn't think too much of it."

"Okay," said Fenris slowly, "since you didn't think much of it, I'm assuming you didn't bother to tell Wendy about this deal of yours?"

Dipper swallowed hard, anxiety beginning to build up in the pit of his stomach. "No."

"Well, you get to tell her now. Hel's calling in the favor."

Dipper's face lost all color, and he slid down the trunk of the tree he was leaning against, until he was sitting at the base.

"Shit," he muttered. "I honestly thought the promise was a formality—or at least not something she'd need me to fulfill so soon after making it. What's the favor?"

"She wants you to protect me—" began Fenris.

"Oh, that's not so bad!" interrupted Dipper. "I thought you were going to say she wanted me to kill someone!"

Fenris sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Sorry, it's not that easy, Dip. Hel wants you to protect me, and prevent me from dying during Ragnarok, as was foretold. And Ragnarok has already been set in motion."

Dipper's jaw gaped. Fenris went on to explain what he'd learned from Hel, Cernunnos, and Arden—about how Ragnarok was actually cyclical, and had happened many times before, and how it was the only way to shift the realms back into their proper places, ensuring Mabel's safety.

"I want Mabel to be safe, so I'm going to help destroy the pocket Midgard and the other Norse realms," Fenris said. "But I'm supposed to die during Ragnarok. I don't want to do that to Mabel—or to myself, to be honest. If I die and am reborn, I won't remember her...you...any of you. Hel thinks that because this Ragnarok cycle is already irregular, maybe we can actually change the outcome in such a way that I live. And  _that's_ why Hel wants you to come with me and protect me. Ragnarok  _has_  to happen, but hopefully I don't have to die."

Dipper stared at Fenris silently, taking everything in. Finally he took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll do it. I mean, willingly. It's not like I have a choice, since I made that stupid open-ended promise to Hel—but I am also in favor of you not dying. You're my best friend, and Mabel loves you. I'll do my best to keep you safe."

Fenris looked down at his hands and sniffed, wiping at his cheek. This cycle was different. According to myth, never before had the Great Wolf had friends.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Dipper stood, and held a hand out to Fenris, helping him up from the log. He gave Fen's hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.

"So when do we have to go, uh, do… Ragnarok?" he asked, as they began walking back toward the Gravnemeta. "I'm guessing soon."

Fenris nodded. "Enjoy your day with Wendy. We'll leave for the Norse realm tomorrow morning."

/

Mabel shifted groggily. She felt like she was floating. She decided she was having a lucid dream, and tried to empty her mind, so she would once again fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. Dreaming was bad. Fenris was in her dreams, always in danger, and reaching out to her. Mabel let out a small sob, and whispered his name.

"Shh, it's okay," came the soft reply. "I'm here."

Warm lips gently touched Mabel's forehead. This was too real to even be a lucid dream. Mabel's eyes shot open, and immediately filled with tears. She was cradled in Fenris's arms, and he was smiling down at her.

"Fen—you came back," she managed to choke out. She threw her arms around him, pressed her face against his chest, and wept silently, her tears quickly soaking his shirt.

Fenris kissed the top of her head, and rocked her. He bit his lip and fought against the tears that were threatening to seep from  _his_ eyes. Seeing her like this tore his heart to shreds, and now he was about to destroy her world all over again by telling her that he and Dipper would be leaving for the Norse realms tomorrow.

Finally Mabel cried herself out. She sniffed and lifted her head, glancing around curiously. "We're in my room," she observed. Fenris was sitting on her bed with his back against the wall. "I don't remember how I got here."

"I blipped you here." Fenris smiled and shifted Mabel so that she was leaning against her pillows, with her legs draped over his lap. "You apparently wore yourself out last night practicing with your glaive at the Gravnemeta, and fell asleep there."

Mabel blushed. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to do some drills. I might have overdone it..."

Fenris cocked an eyebrow at her. "There's no 'might have' about it. You weren't even supposed to be there. Sirona told you to take a couple days off after your run in with Loki, remember?"

"Yeah, well," mumbled Mabel. "I might have been freaking out a little, with Arden dead, and you yanked away with no notice." Her voice shook as she continued. "I thought maybe you'd decide to just never come back here, since the plan was to make Loki think you don't care about me."

Fenris sighed. He took Mabel's hand in his, and laced their fingers together. "Plans have changed," he said. "I still can't stay—I have to leave again tomorrow—but hopefully when I come back, it will be permanently."

Mabel swallowed, trying to fight the lump of anxiety rising in her chest. "What's changed?" she asked.

"Well, you know how I wanted to avoid doing the whole Ragnarok thing and destroying the world?"

Mabel nodded.

"It turns out it isn't the Mundane that will be destroyed, but a small 'pocket' Midgard in the Norse Realms," continued Fenris. "I have to play my part in destroying it, as well as the rest of the Norse Realms. It's the only way I can keep you safe."

Fenris moved Mabel's legs from his lap, and lay down on his side, next to her. She turned as well, so that their faces were mere inches apart.

"I don't understand," she said, reaching out to run her hand over his shoulder. "How will Ragnarok keep me safe? And aren't you supposed to die during the battle?" Her chin quivered.

Fenris touched her lips gently with a finger, and kissed her forehead. "Don't be scared, love" he whispered. "Hel thinks that we may be able to avoid my death during this cycle." He explained the cyclical nature of Ragnarok, and how it could shift the realms back into their proper places.

"And I think I stand a good chance of surviving this Ragnarok," he said finally, "because your brother will be coming with me to watch my back."

Fenris bit his lower lip and waited for Mabel's response. She closed her eyes, but not before a single tear slid down her cheek.

"So, if this all goes badly wrong," she said, her voice strained, "I could lose  _both_ of you?"

Fenris mentally kicked himself. He hadn't even thought of that possible outcome. He reached out and pulled Mabel to him, and she curled up against his chest. Her eyes were still closed, her fists were clenched, and she was breathing rapidly.

"No, Mabel, I will do everything in my power to make sure Dipper comes back to you. I will protect him just as he protects me, and I will also make him swear that if I  _am_ slain, he will immediately blip out of danger and come home." Fenris held Mabel close, and stroked her hair. She was trembling.

"I'm sorry, Fen," she said, her voice muffled against his shirt. "I know I'm acting like a baby. This is all so much, and I'm just one insignificant mortal." She laughed wetly. "I don't think mortal minds are built to handle this kind of god-level drama all the time."

"Hey, now," Fenris said sternly. He pulled back from Mabel, tucked a finger under her chin, and made her look up at him. "You may be mortal, but never  _ever_  think you're insignificant, Mabel. You are the sun, and the moon. You are the softness of flowers, and the fierceness of a cutting winter wind. You are power, and fury, and you are the most beautiful, most precious person to me in all the realms. Your brother taught me that I am capable of making friends, but it was  _you_  who taught me that I am  _worthy_ of having friends. You may not be a goddess, but you are  _my_ goddess, and I am sworn to you."

Fenris stopped talking, and realized he was breathing heavily. He had been speaking more forcefully than he meant to, carried away by his emotions. He had yet to break eye contact with Mabel. Her deep brown eyes were wide, and her lips were slightly parted in surprise.

Without saying anything, Mabel reached up, and slowly guided his face down toward hers. She pressed her warm lips gently against his, kissing him softly at first. Their kisses grew deeper and more passionate, and Fenris groaned softly as Mabel ran her hands through his hair, making a fist and tugging it gently, pulling him more firmly against her.

"You better come back to me, Fen," she whispered into his mouth. "I love you."

/

"YOU'RE GOING  _WHERE_?!"

The scream echoed from the Gravnemeta, spooking woodland creatures, and causing a flock of birds to rise from the trees and flee the area.

Dipper shrank back from Wendy. She stood in the shade of the giant oak, her arms crossed over her chest, tapping a single foot angrily.

"I'm sorry, Wendy," Dipper said, looking down at his hooves. "I would have said something sooner if I'd known about it, but Fenris just told me. That's why he pulled me aside to talk privately."

Wendy huffed. "Couldn't you have at least told me about making an open-ended promise to Hel?"

"Wendy, she sprang that on me when I was  _dead_ , and desperate to get back to you." Dipper put his hands on his hips, and cocked his head at her. "Besides, would you rather I'd said no, and stayed dead?"

Wendy gritted her teeth. "No, I just—ugh. I'm sorry for yelling at you, dude." She strode forward and pulled Dipper into a hug. "So when are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dipper said, stepping back. "We? No, Wendy. You're not coming with us."

Wendy shot him a dangerous look. "What was that, Pines? For a second there I thought you told me I couldn't go with you."

Dipper turned away and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He approached one of the standing stones of the henge, and gently banged his forehead against it. He had to figure out how to word his thoughts in a way that wouldn't imply that he thought Wendy was too fragile or weak to keep up with him and Fenris.

"Look," said Dipper with a sigh, turning back to face Wendy. "You're a goddess. You're strong and capable. If you truly insist on coming with me and Fenris, I won't stop you."

Wendy smiled smugly.

"However," continued Dipper, causing Wendy's smile to flicker. "I would really prefer you to stay here. Not for me. I mean, I want you safe, and Ragnarok doesn't sound safe—but the main reason I want you to stay behind is to support Mabel."

"Oh, pshaw," said Wendy, flapping a hand. "If that's all you're worried about, Puck, Sirona, and my mom are all more than capable of watching over her. Plus, she's got all our human friends and family as well."

Dipper shook his head. "That's not what I mean by 'support.' Wendy, you know how Mabel reacted just from Fenris getting pulled away with no notice. She did glaive drills last night until she  _literally_  dropped from exhaustion. I'm worried about her. She's having a really hard time handling everything that's going on. And now her...boyfriend? I guess? And brother are going to the Norse Realms to bring about Ragnarok. She needs a friend. Someone to support her—and who understands what she's going through."

Wendy sighed and hugged Dipper, laying her head on his shoulder. "Damn you, Pines. I was all prepared to be mad at you for treating me like a fragile little flower. But you're not. You're worried about your sister. I can't be mad at that."

"So... does that mean you're okay with staying behind?" asked Dipper hesitantly.

Wendy pulled back, keeping her hands on Dipper's shoulders, and looking him in the eye. "Not  _okay_ ," she said. "I'd much rather be watching your back and making sure you get home in one piece. But I'll stay behind anyway. For Mabel."

Dipper smiled, and leaned in to kiss Wendy. "Thank you."

/

There was a soft knock on Mabel's door, and it opened with a creak.

"Since you didn't come down for breakfast  _or_  lunch, I figured I'd bring you up something to eat," said Melody cheerfully, as she bustled in carrying a tray. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Mabel lying in her bed next to Fenris. "Oh! Fenris, you're back! And Mabel… you're wearing your armor? Did I miss something?"

For the first time since she'd woken up in Fen's arms, Mabel glanced at what she was wearing. She hadn't even noticed that she was still armored. She caught a whiff of herself and wrinkled her nose.

"It's a long story, Melody," she said. "And Fen, why didn't you tell me I smelled gross?"

Fenris shrugged. "I love the way you smell."

"Ugh, well I don't," muttered Mabel, as she sat up and rose stiffly from the bed. "You can go ahead and eat. I'm going to grab a shower. Thanks for the food, Melody."

"You're welcome," replied the older woman. "I'll go bring up some more. I thought it was just you up here."

Mabel began loosening the laces on her armor as Melody clomped back down the stairs. She leaned over to pull at the laces of her greaves, and groaned.

"Everything hurts," she complained. "Remind me never to pull an all-night glaive practice ever again, m'kay?"

Fenris smiled up at Mabel, then slid from the bed and knelt next to her. "Noted," he said, as he began tugging at her greave laces. "Here, let me do that."

Fenris had Mabel's armor off in mere minutes, leaving her clad in the shorts and tank top she'd worn to bed the night before. Mabel plucked at the still sweat-soaked shirt, pulling it away from her skin with a grimace.

"Yikes," she muttered. "I'm getting that shower now. You should eat before the food gets cold." She grabbed clean clothes from a drawer, and sauntered from the room. Soon Fenris heard the clank of pipes as the shower cut on.

Fenris helped himself to some of the food, not even really noticing the flavor or texture of what he was chewing. He stared thoughtfully at Mabel's armor pieces scattered across the floor, as the beginnings of an idea formed in the back of his mind.

Dipper was constantly playing with his powers, doing all sorts of new magic on a daily basis. Granted, as a trickster, his powers were only limited by his imagination and his will—he could pretty much do anything he wanted if he practiced enough. Fenris wondered if, now that he was in human form and had discovered his destruction magic, he would be able to learn how to do more than just throw fireballs and spontaneously combust. Could he learn how to, say, enchant items with destruction magic?

He leaned over and picked up Mabel's gauntlets. Could he help protect her by giving her the power to destroy? How would he even do such a thing? He held the gauntlets to his chest and scrunched his eyes shut, imagining an aura of shimmering fire surrounding him, and engulfing the gauntlets. He pictured Mabel wearing the gauntlets, shooting gouts of flame at an enemy from her hands.

"Ahem," came a polite cough from the doorway. Fenris's eyes flew open and he blushed furiously, as Melody entered the room and sat another tray of food down. She nodded to the gauntlets he still clutched to his chest. "Whatcha doing?"

Fenris tossed the gauntlets aside with a shrug. "Just being stupid." He doubted his little visualization exercise had had any effect, anyway. He had no idea what he was doing.

Melody raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Okay, then. Eat up," she said, turning on her heel and leaving.

A moment later Mabel entered the room, dressed in clean shorts and a t-shirt, a towel wrapped around her hair.

"Ugh, I feel soooo much better," she said, flopping down on her bed. Then she sniffed. "What smells like burnt leather?"

/

By late afternoon, word had traveled amongst their family and friends that Dipper and Fenris would be going to the Norse Realm the following morning, and would be gone for an unspecified amount of time. Beithe had the idea to throw the boys a big farewell dinner that evening, so that Wendy and Mabel could send them off from the Gravnemeta tomorrow privately. The group was too big to fit in any of their houses, so Dipper conjured up a table and chairs at the Gravnemeta. As the sepia-toned evening fell, everyone trickled in, bearing dishes of their favorite foods to share. Even Pacifica showed up.

"Jeez, you said the puppy became human," Mabel heard Pacifica mutter to Grenda from across the table, as they filled their plates, "but you failed to mention what a hottie he is!"

Mabel bit her lip, suddenly feeling insecure, and reached out to grab Fenris's hand. He squeezed it, then lifted it to his mouth and kissed it gently. The warm look in his eyes instantly melted any feelings of insecurity, and gave her a fluttery feeling in her stomach. Mabel needn't worry about Pacifica making a move on Fenris. He only had eyes for her.

"Yeah, I guess he is," Grenda grunted back at Pacifica, as if she hadn't really noticed before, "but he's also super in love with Mabel, and super devoted to her. Don't get any ideas, Blondie."

Mabel grinned and caught Grenda's eye. The larger girl winked at her, as she handed a small piece of food to Bork, who was sitting on her shoulder.

"You shouldn't feed the brownie," Harold called out to Grenda from his seat at the other end of the table, his tone exceedingly arrogant. "If anything, he should be serving us this meal. That is what they're for."

Grenda gritted her teeth, and clenched her fist so hard she warped the fork she was holding. The animated chatter at the table ceased, and the Gravnemeta fell into uncomfortable silence. Well, silence except for the low, rumbling growl emanating from Grenda's throat.

Bork hopped down from Grenda's shoulder and maneuvered around the dishes on the table, his small, reedy voice breaking the awkward silence.

"It's okay, everyone," he said, coming to a stop in front of the former Green Man. He reached for the serving spoon in the dish of mashed potatoes to his left. "Allow me to serve you one last time,  _sir_." He levered the spoon back as far as he could, then let go. The contents of the spoon flew through the air and splattered directly in Harold's face.

Harold's bellow of rage was quickly cut off by Puck, who jumped to his feet at the end of the table, holding rolls aloft, and screaming "FOOD FIGHT!"

The previously civilized meal erupted into a battle-zone, as dinner began flying at faces. Dipper conjured a miniature trebuchet and loaded it with the contents of his plate, sending it hurtling at his Grunkles. There had not been any pies on the table, but Puck remedied that situation, and soon everyone was covered in lemon meringue and key lime shrapnel.

"Ew, it's in my HAIR!" Pacifica screeched, ducking under the table. The only other coward hiding under the table was a very grumpy, potato-faced Harold.

Beithe and Wendy began shooting leaves of lettuce at everyone, while the boys and Dan all wielded bottles of salad dressing, thoroughly saladifying their fellow diners. Soos simply stood still, his mouth open, eating whatever happened to come his way. Melody hid behind her bulky beau, ducking out now and then to hurl slices of garlic bread like ninja throwing stars at her friends. The Grunkles quickly recovered from Dipper's trebuchet attack, and began using a slingshot that Ford had presumably had on his person to fling olives and meatballs. Sirona used Cecil, who was draped over her shoulders, as a form of defense—whenever edible projectiles came her way, she swatted them away with Cecil's muscular tail. Grenda was using a baked brie as a shield, whilst sending fists of crudites flying in all directions. Bork retained his serving spoon, splattering mashed potatoes and gravy on those nearest him. Mabel and Fenris stood back to back, grabbing whatever food was within reach on the table, and lobbing it by the handful at anyone but each other.

/

Nobody noticed the unusually large, black bird perched ominously in the upper branches of the giant oak, watching the food fight unfold, a wicked gleam in its eyes.

Hel had told him that Fenris finally agreed to come home for Ragnarok, to participate in some murder and mayhem. She seemed to have been telling the truth, as before the tiny man started the food fight, Loki had heard bits and pieces of conversation revolving around 'the boys' leaving for the Norse Realm in the morning.

The boys. Yes, Hel had mentioned that Fenris insisted on bringing along his satyr-shaped trickster friend from the Green Realm. Loki didn't really care. It might even be useful to have another trickster on hand to help sow chaos. However, if he got in the way of Fenris doing his job, Loki would have no problem dispatching with the young god. He was going to, eventually, anyway. Maybe he could even convince Fenris to be the one to off his 'friend.'

Oh, and it would also be simply  _delicious_  if Fenris was the one to kill the girl who smelled of him. She would have to go. Gods of destruction shouldn't have girlfriends. Especially not mortal ones. Loki would leave her alone for now, to ensure his son's cooperation. By the time Ragnarok was complete, Loki was certain Fenris would be hardened up enough to kill her willingly, and without remorse.

Loki was going to make sure he and Fenris survived Ragnarok by any means. First Ragnarok—then he and his son would take over the Green Realm, and use it as a staging point from which to conquer and destroy all the other realms.

And  _nothing_ was going to stand in their way—especially not some silly mortal girl.


	12. Chapter 12

Wendy's room was quiet and dark. Dipper wrapped his arms more tightly around her and snuggled into her back, as he listened to the sound of her deep, even breathing. They'd stayed up late, talking about anything and everything, purposefully avoiding the subject of Ragnarok, and the accompanying "what ifs."

Dipper lifted his head and glanced over Wendy's shoulder, to the bit of hallway visible through her open bedroom door. He half-expected Manly Dan to be looming angrily in the doorway, but it was empty. Beithe had somehow convinced Dan to let Dipper stay this  _one_  night with Wendy, under the condition that they kept her door open. The lumberjack had grumbled about wandering hands, but after a short, muttered argument with his wife, Beithe got her way. After all, no one would say it out loud, but everyone was thinking it: Dipper was leaving to accompany Fenris to the Norse realm and set off Ragnarok—and there was a very good chance he might not make it back.

That thought sent a shiver down Dipper's spine. He pressed his face into Wendy's shoulderblade, and breathed in her warm, earthy scent as he tried to stop trembling. He had to be strong for her. He was terrified, but he didn't want to add to the concerns that Wendy already had about him acting as Fenris's bodyguard during their bastardized version of Ragnarok.

"Dipper, why're you shaking?" mumbled Wendy groggily.

Dipper didn't say anything. He just squeezed her tightly and placed a single kiss on the nape of her neck.

Wendy sighed and rolled over, curling up against Dipper's chest, and burrowing her head under his chin. Her breathing slowed and deepened once again. Dipper kissed the top of her head, as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

/

The light of the moon filtered through the attic window, casting a pale triangle against the floorboards of Mabel's bedroom. Fenris and Mabel lay in her bed, face-to-face, holding each other.

"Fen?"

"Hmm?"

"I can't sleep."

Fenris opened his eyes and was met with Mabel's warm brown gaze. "I can't either," he admitted.

"Don't go," Mabel said weakly. She looked away, embarrassed at the pleading tone of her voice.

Fenris placed his hand against Mabel's cheek, and ran the pad of his thumb over her lips. "I promise you, Mabel, if it wasn't necessary for your safety, I wouldn't go. I'd never leave your side."

Mabel's lips twitched up into a semblance of a smile. "Well, you might want to leave my side for, like, going to the bathroom and stuff."

Fenris chuckled low. "That is true. But please understand, I am not willingly leaving you. You are the most precious person in the world to me."

"Ugh," Mabel sighed. "Prophecies suck. I don't get why you  _have_ to go all rage-and-destruction on the Norse realm. What about self-determination?"

Fenris raised a single eyebrow. "You remember who my dad is, right? I'm going rage-and-destruction so that he leaves you alone. Among other things."

"But you're a good boy," whispered Mabel, stroking Fenris's cheek.

Fenris took a shuddering breath. The way she said that had sent a wave of warmth throughout his body. He put his hand on the back of Mabel's head, twining his fingers through her soft hair, and pressed her face against his. He took a deep breath of her scent before placing his mouth on hers and kissing her deeply.

He didn't know how many mythological cycles he'd lived through, but he knew, without a doubt, that nobody had ever affected him as deeply and profoundly as Mabel. She was his twin flame, destined to burn together with him for eternity.

As if she read his thoughts, Mabel murmured against his mouth: "If you don't come back to me, Fen, I'll come after you. I promise. You're part of me now. I'll find you, no matter what."

/

The dim, gray, predawn light peeking in through Wendy's curtains alerted Dipper that it was morning. He hadn't slept. He'd held onto Wendy throughout the night, trying to retain the feel of her body in his memory. He did, however, want to spend some time with her while she was awake, before he had to set off on his and Fenris's new adventure.

"Hey, Wen," he said softly into her ear, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. "Time to get up!"

Wendy groaned and rolled onto her back, throwing an arm over her eyes. "What time is it?" she mumbled.

"Too early to be awake," admitted Dipper. "But I miss you already. I'd like to hang out with conscious Wendy for a couple hours before I have to—" He paused, trying to talk past the lump in his throat. "Before I leave."

Wendy's eyes flew open. "Fuck. I was hoping all that was a bad dream." She sat up and leaned back against her headboard, staring at Dipper with her piercing green eyes. "You're  _sure_  you'd rather me stay with Mabel than come with you?"

Dipper nodded. "You two watch over each other, and Fen and I will do the same. Everything will be okay." He sounded more convinced of that than he felt.

The dull thud of footsteps sounded in the hallway, accompanied by the soft screech of something heavy and metallic being dragged on the hardwood floor. A moment later, a sleepy-looking Manly Dan glowered at Dipper through the open door. He was holding the handle of a large ax, letting its head rest on the floor.

"Sleep well?" he grunted.

"Not really," answered Dipper, without thinking. "Well, not at all, actually."

" _What_?" spat Dan. He glared at Dipper as he moved into the room, and began to lift his ax.

"Nonononono, Dad!" cried Wendy, jumping out of bed to stand between her dad and Dipper. "Nothing happened! I promise, okay?  _I_ slept."

Dipper hopped up from the bed as well, and held his hands up. "Whoa, Manly Dan, I definitely didn't mean anything like that! I just couldn't sleep—too anxious about Ragnarok. Nothing happened, I swear!"

Dan lowered his ax, his frown both grumpy and skeptical. "I need coffee," he finally grunted, turning to trudge toward the kitchen.

Wendy sighed with relief, and turned to Dipper, running her hands through her hair. "I need to grab a shower… then how about we go on a walk—take the long way to the Gravnemeta?"

Dipper nodded. "I hear your mom and brothers stirring. I guess I'll go say my goodbyes while you get ready."

As Wendy headed toward the bathroom, Dipper turned the opposite way, which led him to the Corduroy's kitchen. Dan was slumped at the table, his chin resting against his propped up hand. His eyelids drooped. Beithe was puttering about, pouring boiling water into her French press, and pulling out the ingredients to make pancakes from scratch. She heard Dipper's hooves clacking against the floor, and turned to smile at him.

"Good morning, dear! Pancakes and coffee?" she asked.

Dipper sat at the opposite end of the table from Dan, eyeing the lumberjack warily. "Yes, please. I, uh, wasn't able to sleep, so I'll take my coffee as strong and sugary as you can make it."

"Strong coffee coming up," said Beithe, turning back to stir the pancake batter. She continued to chatter while she cooked. "Dan couldn't sleep last night either. Seemed like he would twitch at every little noise. I had to physically restrain him from patrolling the hallway at one point."

Dan grumbled inaudibly.

"What was that, honey?" Beithe asked. She plunged the French press and poured a steaming cup of black coffee, handing it to her husband.

"I just worry about Wendy, is all," Dan said, before taking a sip from his  _World's Best Dad_ mug. "She's still so young for—well, you know. Even if she  _is_ handfasted."

Dipper felt his cheeks grow warm, and he looked down at the table. "Well, at least you'll be able to sleep better, knowing I'm in an entirely different realm from your daughter," he said bitterly. A mug of beige-colored coffee was plunked down in front of him. He looked up to see Beithe standing over him, a single eyebrow raised. "Thanks for the coffee," he mumbled. He didn't know what her look was supposed to mean, but it made him feel slightly chastised.

"Now that's not fair," said Dan, suddenly defensive. "Wendy loves you, and you being gone is going to be hard on her. It'll be hard on… all of us."

Dipper took a large gulp of coffee, then grinned at Dan. "Why, Mr. Corduroy, I didn't know you cared!" he drawled in a ridiculous mockery of a Southern accent.

Manly Dan frowned at him, but his eyes were kind. "You're good for her, kid. Make sure you come back in one piece." Then he looked down at the plate of pancakes Beithe set before him, and began shoveling in his meal, barely breathing between bites. It appeared that he had nothing else to say on the subject.

Dipper smiled to himself, as he tucked into his own plate of pancakes.

Wendy and her brothers soon joined the others at the breakfast table, and Dipper made sure to say goodbye to everyone before they left. Finally he and a still-wet-haired Wendy emerged from the Corduroy's cabin into the crisp morning air.

The couple held hands and ambled slowly in the general direction of the Gravnemeta, trying to put off their inevitable parting as long as possible.

/

Mabel and Fenris woke up in a tangle of each other's limbs, the covers of the bed laying in a heap of the floor, having been cast aside at some point in the night. Fenris blinked sleepily, a small smile playing on his lips. His hair, untidy at the best of times, simultaneously stuck up in clumps, and fell into his eyes.

"Hi," he said softly, noticing Mabel looking at him.

Mabel opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn't get any words out. Today was the day Fenris left her. She just shook her head and held onto him, her knuckles white. She pressed her face into his chest, inhaling the smell of musk, pine needles, and wood smoke that always clung to his skin.

Fenris sighed, and kissed her forehead. He didn't have to be at the Gravnemeta just yet. He could blip there instantaneously when it was time, anyway. He tried to push thoughts of what he'd soon have to do from his mind, and focus on the warm presence of Mabel, as she tried to press herself as close as physically possible against his body.

He didn't know what to say. He'd told Mabel of his love for her, but he felt like mere words couldn't do the enormity of his feelings for her justice. She was light and life. Her gentleness like the first warm breeze of spring, or the light touch of a honeybee alighting on a flower to collect nectar. She was also as ferocious and relentless as a summer storm when she needed to be—particularly if those she loved were in danger.

Dipper had been Fenris's first friend, but Mabel made him feel whole, and like he was enough—worthy of love.

"Do you remember when we met?" he asked, his breath ruffling the stray hairs on Mabel's forehead.

Mabel answered without looking up, her lips tickling Fenris's bare chest, giving him goosebumps. "It was the day Dipper and Wendy came back from the Green Realm and had their handfasting." She giggled softly. "I thought you were just a really smart puppy."

"That night, after Dipper and Wendy left their party, I noticed you crying. Even before I really knew you, seeing you sad broke my heart." He paused and took a deep breath. "Mabel, I didn't realize what love was then, because I'd never felt it before… but I fell in love with you that night. And every day I've spent with you since then, I've only come to love you more. Now I'm in human form and we can have a physical relationship (which is great, don't get me wrong), but that pure, innocent feeling of love I discovered in puppy form that first night with you is still there, in my heart, a bright white light, were there was once only darkness. Despite Dipper being along to help me, I think  _that_ is what is really going to make a difference, and protect me during this Ragnarok cycle. I love you, and I'm loved in return. You've given me something to fight for. I will come back to you, Mabel. Your light will guide me home."

Fenris felt warm, wet tears splash onto his chest, as Mabel wept silently, her face still pressed against him. He wrapped his arms around her more tightly and stroked her hair. His expression reflected the grim determination he felt. He and Mabel belonged together. He would do anything to make it back into her arms.

/

Wendy and Dipper meandered hand-in-hand, slowly making their way past the treeline and into the Gravnemeta just as Fenris blipped himself and Mabel there. The couples met in the center of the clearing, under the canopy of the giant oak. None of them looked pleased to be there.

Mabel, her face pale, and her eyes red-rimmed, spoke first. "So… what happens now?" she asked, her voice quavering.

Dipper shrugged, his expression carefully neutral. "This is Fen's show, now."

Fenris licked his lips, hesitating. "I… I hadn't really thought about it. I suppose we should blip to Hel's place first. She'll probably have an idea of what Loki has planned for us."

"Remind me again why y'all can't just kill Loki and be done with it?" asked Wendy, folding her arms over her chest.

"We need Ragnarok to happen, because it will reset the nexus point between realms to the Green Realm, so the Gravnemeta will not be so easy for unfriendly gods and beasts from other realms to access," said Fenris. "But don't worry, once we're sure the shift has happened, I plan to kill my father myself." He said the last bit while staring Mabel in the eye, and squeezed her hand for emphasis.

"Please just be careful," Mabel murmured. "Both of you."

The group stood in silence for a few moments, nobody wanting to say goodbye. Finally, Fenris spoke.

"We should go now. The sooner we leave, the sooner we may return."

Dipper nodded. "Okay, I guess this is it, then. Wendy—" He was cut off by Wendy's mouth suddenly forcefully pressed against his own. She hugged him so tightly that his back cracked.

Fenris looked away, his cheeks red. Mabel put her arms around him, and looked up into his face. Her eyes were wet.

"Fen," she whispered, so only he could hear her, "you are  _everything_. You said I'm your light? Well, you're the air I breathe. I won't be able to breathe properly again, until you're back safe with me." Her eyes finally overflowed, as she said thickly, "I already can't breathe. It hurts so much."

Fenris lowered his head and pressed his lips to the tears dripping down both Mabel's cheeks, before bringing his mouth to hers, kissing her with a gentle passion.

"I promise you," he whispered against her lips. "I promise I will come back to you."

The couples reluctantly separated, and Fenris and Wendy clasped hands, while Mabel hugged her brother.

"Please keep Fen safe," Mabel said, her voice low. "And take care of yourself. If you die I'll never forgive you."

Dipper chuckled wetly, and nodded. He let go of Mabel, and she stepped back to grasp Fenris's hand one last time. Dipper reached out and squeezed Wendy's hand.

"You two look out for each other, as well," said Dipper. "You're the most bad-ass women I know—you got this."

Fenris pulled his hand from Mabel's, sighing as he did. "It is time for us to depart."

Dipper nodded. He and Fenris turned to face the girls, and Dipper slung an arm around Fen's shoulders.

Fenris took a deep breath, looked into Mabel's eyes one last time, then closed his eyes in concentration. Dipper never took his eyes from Wendy's face.

There was a soft pop, and suddenly Mabel and Wendy were the only two souls in the clearing. They stood in contemplative silence for a few moments, tears leaving wet trails down their cheeks.

Mabel took a shuddering breath, then wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, before turning to face Wendy.

"So, you wanna spar?"

The corner's of Wendy's lips twitched slightly. "Hell yes."


End file.
